The Keeper in the Quiet
by MrsStuffNThangs
Summary: Daryl's heart raced inside his chest. It's what happened every time he was near her. He was feeling a hundred different things, each of which made him feel just as anxious as it did intoxicated. I do not own The Walking Dead or the characters within...darn. Please read, enjoy and review!
1. Chapter 1

Yeah, I couldn't help myself. I have no idea how long this fic will be. Could be 5 chapters or 50 depending on your interest and mine. Please review to let me know your level of interest in TWD's latest dynamic duo. Hope you enjoy this and God bless!

**Chapter 1: Going With You**

It was just past midnight but Connie couldn't sleep. Her friends had been drinking heavily, celebrating Luke's safe return. They were all passed out in the trailer they now called home. The generous swigs of moonshine should have put her to bed too but they didn't. She had too much on her mind.

She sat at the picnic table drawing in her notepad and trying to remember the landmarks outside the gates of The Hilltop. Her group hadn't been there for long but she keenly drew out the different places she had already seen. She knew which direction Michonne had lead them from. Alexandria. She remembered where she had gone the day before looking for Luke. She saw the direction where the masked monsters had lead the girl away. She felt sure of where she needed to look.

Connie's eyes shot up when she saw Daryl Dixon walk passed her and towards the front gate. He walked with his head upright and with purpose, his crossbow slung over his muscular shoulders. She quickly rose from the picnic table and ran after him. She needed to know where he was going.

Daryl heard the footsteps swiftly moving closer towards him. He stopped and turned around. It was the deaf girl. The one from the cornfield. He thought her name was Connie but couldn't say for sure. If he was completely honest, it didn't matter. She was an outsider and not someone in his inner circle. She was at the Hilltop but that was just geography. He didn't know her from most of the others there and just being inside the gates didn't mean much to him. Although he had come to her rescue and saved her life earlier that day, she was still just a stranger.

Connie ran in front of the rough and rugged archer and turned to face him. She held the notepad directly in front of his face and Daryl read her neat penmanship.

_Where are you going?_

Daryl pulled a paper from the pocket of his shirt. He unfolded it and held it in front of her.

_Couldn't live with it._

_Went to find Lydia._

The boy went to look for Lydia. Connie could tell that things wouldn't end neatly when they just handed the girl over to her mother. She could see it in that boy's eyes. He cared for her. He wanted to protect her but he couldn't. They all did what was necessary. Daryl made the call to trade Lydia for Luke and Aldan. Connie was more than relieved to get her friend back but she felt a heavy sense of guilt at what she was sure they had sent the girl back to.

If that grotesque woman would leave a helpless baby for the dead, what would she do to her daughter. She didn't even embrace her when she got her back safely. Her hand met the girl's face with a powerful slap.

Connie scribbled on her notepad and showed it to Daryl.

_I'm going with you._

Daryl looked into her face. "No," he stated bluntly and dismissively as he walked passed her.

Connie grabbed his arm and walked in front of him again. She stood her ground as she pointed to the same note and looked him straight in the eyes.

_I'm going with you._

"Why?" Daryl asked. He watched her as she frantically wrote on the paper again. His eyes watched her hands as she wrote. He watched her curiously like she was a foreigner from another world that he'd never seen before.

Connie held another note up for him to read.

_I can't live with it either._

Daryl's eyes finally left hers as he continued towards the gate. He heard her footsteps behind his as he walked followed by Dog's lively stride.

Connie was coming with him and he wasn't going to spend any more time arguing with her. She looked strong enough, like she could probably take care of herself. Anyone still alive ten years into this fallen world had to be strong. It only took one mistake to be on the wrong side of ground and even the luckiest person's luck ran out eventually. Daryl did wonder how a deaf woman had managed to survive this long though. He knew how important every single one of the body's senses were to survival. No matter though. If she needed to come with him, who was he to stop her?

The gatekeeper opened the large doors and Daryl, Connie and Dog left to find Henry and Lydia.

They would have to be careful. They left in the middle of the night and the waxing crescent moon gave little light to the overgrown path they were walking on.

Daryl had a small flashlight that he used to illuminate the path occasionally. He was careful with the flashlight not wanting to make their presence known to anyone dead or alive.

Connie could barely make out the silhouette of his frame but she kept her eyes focused on it. She moved at his pace keeping in stride with his movements as she walked behind him. She was well aware that she wasn't exactly welcome on this impromptu mission and she wanted to avoid doing anything that would make him regret allowing her to tag along.

It wasn't long before Daryl stopped the trek completely. He found some large rocks and shone his flashlight quickly across them to make sure there was no danger lurking within the shelter they provided. He stood inside them and Dog sat at his feet.

Connie sighed not knowing what to expect next. It wasn't easy to tell where she stood with her traveling companion. Daryl's enigmatic demeanor was near impossible to read, especially in the dark. She hated the dark. Most people did these days but not for the same reasons as her. Of course she was well accustomed to being deaf and mute and never saw it as a significant disadvantage. How could not using something you've _never_ had really be a disadvantage? But the darkness was different. The darkness _did_ make her feel handicapped. She had no way of communicating with Daryl and she wondered if it was a mistake coming with him.

Connie leaned up against a large boulder, waiting for whatever his next move would be. She flinched slightly when she felt his hand tap her arm. She looked over in Daryl's direction and saw his flashlight turn on to it's dimmest setting. He shown the light onto her chest, at the pocket of her shirt. He pointed at the notepad and pen inside her pocket and motioned for her to hand it to him. She did. She watched him attentively as he put the flashlight in his mouth. He shown it down onto the notepad as he wrote in heavy strokes. He handed her the notepad back and illuminated his note with the flashlight.

_too dark_

_sleep_

_i'll keep watch_

Connie shook her head. She didn't want to sleep and she certainly didn't want to be someone he had to watch over.

Daryl pointed to the note again and Connie looked up into his eyes. She was trying to read his expression in the dim light but his poker face didn't give her much to work with.

Daryl put the flashlight back in his mouth and scribbled onto the notepad again. He watched her as he put it in front of her to read.

_its ok_

_you'll be safe_

_promise_

_sleep_

Connie held his gaze with her own. She finally nodded, conceding to his request. She sunk down to the ground and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Senses**

Daryl's eyes darted back and forth between Connie and the surrounding terrain. Connie was crouched on the ground with her back against the rocks. Daryl carefully studied her, wondering who she was and how she had made it this far. Her petite frame and subdued demeanor made her appear weak to him. That was to say nothing of the fact that she couldn't hear or speak.

Why had he let her come with him? He should have made her stay behind at The Hilltop but it was too late for that now. He would do what he could to protect her but Henry was his priority. Carol was the best friend Daryl had ever had and he would do whatever it took to protect her boy. He hoped Connie wouldn't get in the way of that.

The sun was just beginning to rise and light the sky to a majestic, dusky blue color. Daybreak was the time of day Daryl liked most. It meant that another day was beginning and another night had been survived.

Survival.

Survival was not what Daryl Dixon had been doing for the last ten years. It's what he'd been doing his entire life. He grew up in the backwoods of rural Georgia with his abusive father and neglectful mother. His mother's final act of neglect was to die in a fire and leave her youngest son in the care of the meanest drunk alive, Wade Dixon.

There were some drunks that would get intoxicated and it turned them mean. But then there were other despicable, lowlife drunks that were _always_ mean and drinking turned them into viscous monsters. That was Daryl's pa, Wade.

Daryl had learned to hunt when he was just eight years old. One day, after his mother died and Merle had moved onto greener pastures, he opened the kitchen cabinet in the one-room shack he shared with his father. It was empty. His pa laid passed out on the filthy recliner and Daryl made the mistake of waking him up to ask him for something to eat. His father beat him badly. He usually preferred to whip him across the back with his belt but that day was special. He was too drunk to find his belt and used his fists instead. Daryl awoke from the beating to find his father passed out again, he left the shack that day with a bloody nose, two black eyes and his pa's crossbow. He bagged himself a possum and cooked it over a fire he built himself.

Daryl learned two very important lessons that day: not to piss off his pa when he was drunk, which was always, and that if he wanted to make it, he would have to take care of himself. Daryl spent most of his young life pushing people away as hard as he'd been pushed. If he didn't let people get close, it was impossible for them to hurt him.

While the last ten years had been a living hell for those around him, it was business as usual for Daryl Dixon.

But unlike everyone else, the end of the world brought the surly survivor the family he'd never had before. Daryl found himself among people that valued him. And they didn't just value him for what he could offer them. They valued him as a friend. He had found brothers that would defend him even to death and sisters that cared deeply for him and would go to any lengths to make sure he knew it. And all that love and devotion was reciprocated by Daryl. Although he usually couldn't show the love and devotion in words or affection, he would do anything for his new family - for those in his inner circle.

Yes the end of the world was a dangerous and dark existence but at least it had given Daryl something he'd never known before. It had given him a family that he loved and that loved him back.

It was still dark but it was now light enough that they could continue their search without tripping over each other. Dog bolted upright when he saw Daryl move towards Connie. Daryl stooped down and tapped her boot. Connie sat up then looked around. She was on her feet in seconds, dusting off the back of her pants. Daryl waved his hand to motion to her that it was time to go.

Connie held up her index finger, signaling to Daryl that she needed one minute. She hurried behind the rocks and Daryl could hear her unbuckling her pants. He waited while she relieved herself and seconds later, she was back at his side. They walked back to the trail they were on just a few hours ago, resuming their quest.

The duo had been walking for an hour when they found the fresh footprints around the ditch. Connie wrote in her notepad and showed it to Daryl.

_He caught up w/ them_

"Yeah," Daryl mumbled before turning to look away. "There was a struggle."

Connie glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. She knew he had said something but didn't know what it was. She tapped him on the arm and Daryl turned towards her again.

Connie looked Daryl straight in the eyes. She pointed her finger to his lips then quickly pointed back to her eyes, then back to his lips again. Surely he knew that anything he was saying, she couldn't hear. She needed him to face her when he spoke.

"They caught up to him," he replied, leaning towards her and trying his best to enunciate his words.

Dog ran through the ditch from a few yards away. He stopped near the footprints, sniffing and wagging his tail frantically. He looked up at his master from the ditch and let out a loud bark.

"Good boy!" Daryl said, stepping into the ditch with a grunt. He patted Dog on the back. "Good boy," he said again. Connie watched Daryl as he picked up Henry's staff and looked it over. "Yeah," Daryl said, pointing with the staff, "they went that way,"

Just then, Dog let out a low growl. His fur stood upright on the nape of his neck as he stared down two approaching walkers. Daryl glanced up and nodded to Connie. He raised his crossbow, ready to take them down. He fired an arrow into the walker on the right. A second after his arrow met with the corpse's head, the rock from Connie's slingshot hit deep into the head of the other walker. Both of the dead bodies collapsed to the ground and Daryl nodded in approval to Connie. "Nice," he said under his breath.

Daryl was impressed with her handling of her weapon. He would have never thought a slingshot with rocks could work so efficiently. It was a simple weapon with near limitless ammunition and the way she wielded it made him rethink the bulk and other shortcomings of his own weapon.

Daryl emitted a distinct whistle, signaling to his pet to retrieve his arrow from the walker. "Dog!" he commanded the animal. Dog obeyed quickly, running up to the corpse and pulling the arrow out of its head with his teeth. "C'mon," Daryl instructed. He brought it back to Daryl but would not release it when his master wrapped his hand around it. The arrow finally broke in half and Dog ran off disinterested in the now broken stick.

Daryl threw the broken arrow to the ground and looked up at Connie. She had been watching the whole interaction between Daryl and his faithful companion and smiled in amusement at the exchange. "Bad Dog," Daryl said, both slightly embarrassed and amused himself.

It wasn't long before Connie and Daryl caught up to where Henry and Lydia were. They had both been taken to the Whisperer's camp. The two watched the savages in their territory from the safety of a row of lilac bushes, high on a hill.

Connie pulled her notepad out and wrote quickly.

_At least 100 of them  
Don't see Henry or Lydia  
What's our move?_

Daryl faced Connie and whispered clearly, "We wait. Watch and wait for some kind of opening. There's always an opening and you just have to be ready for when it comes."

Connie nodded. She sat against a tree while Daryl kept his eyes peeled. She rummaged through the bag slung over her chest and pulled out a package of smoked deer jerky. She tapped Daryl on the arm and offered him a piece. Daryl shook his head but Connie still held the meat up in front of him. She widened her eyes and nodded. Daryl shook his head again. "Naw," he said, "not hungry." Connie shrugged her shoulders and held the jerky out to Dog. Dog was happy to oblige and quickly but gently took the deer meat out of her hand. Daryl glanced over at Dog as he chewed and swallowed the treat. His eyes moved to Connie as she took small bites from her piece of jerky. He chewed on his lip, a habit he had when he had something on his mind.

Connie looked up and caught Daryl staring at her. He quickly looked away, wishing he had been less obvious about watching her. A small smile appeared on her face. She touched Daryl's arm and he turned to her again. Connie continued to smile as she pointed to her head then Daryl's.

"I don't understand," he replied.

Connie held her jerky in her teeth as she pulled her trusty pen and notepad out of her pocket.

_What are you thinking about?_

Daryl read the note and looked up at her. He shook his head but she pointed at the note again. Daryl sighed. "I'm just tryin' to figure out how we're gonna get Henry back." Connie smirked. She knew that's not what he was thinking about but she didn't want to push it. She handed him another note.

_We're getting Lydia too_

"Henry's my priority. If we can help the girl, than we'll try." Connie jotted down another note and handed it to Daryl.

_Her name is Lydia  
She's my priority_

Daryl scoffed and turned away, bringing his attention back to the Whisperer's camp. Connie tapped his arm again and handed him another note.

_Is Henry your family?_

"He's Carol's boy."

Connie didn't know who Carol was. She didn't really know anyone outside of her sister and her own three friends. She shrugged and mouthed, "Who's Carol?"

"You sure do talk a lot," Daryl replied.

A wide grin formed on Connie's face at the irony of Daryl's statement. No one had ever told her that she talked too much and she was decidedly amused by what he'd just said. It was obvious he didn't want to answer her questions about Carol, or probably anything else, and that was okay with her. He wasn't looking for a conversation and no one was used to silence more than her. She finished her jerky and put the package back in her bag. She sat up, moved towards Daryl and looked out into the camp.

This group of people knew what they were doing. Although they appeared to live like animals, they were an organized pack. They all had jobs they were doing and moved around in the different areas of camp like a well-oiled machine. Connie wasn't sure how they would penetrate their camp but she wasn't worried either. Daryl was right, their moment would come and they'd be ready when it did.

They sat for a long time waiting and watching as a warm breeze blew, surrounding them with the sweet scent of the lilacs. Daryl listened to Connie as she inhaled deeply. He turned to look at her and was surprised to see that she was staring back at him. Unlike him, when he caught her dark eyes watching him, she didn't look away. She held him in her gaze, boldly and candidly studying him. For what seemed like a long time, neither of them turned from the other's focus. He peered at her through narrowed eyes while she kept her wide eyes fixed on him. They were two animals, relying on their raw instincts, observing each other and trying to identify the nature of the other creature. The silent stand-off finally became too intense and Daryl broke away, looking at the ground momentarily. He blew out through his mouth and brought his focus back to the enemy in front of them.

Daryl found himself flustered and thrown off guard by the exchange, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very long time. Why had he let her come with him? She was a liability and she would only get in his way. She was a distraction.

Suddenly, Daryl felt Connie tug at his arm. She pointed down the hill. There were two Whisperers dragging a large piece of cloth with two dead bodies atop. A third Whisperer pointed to a large herd, directing the other two towards it.

Connie's heart raced in her chest as she pulled out her pad and scribbled on it frantically.

_Nows our moment  
Those 3 in masks  
Kill them - take masks  
Sneak in – get Henry Lydia_

Daryl felt a wild rush of energy surge through his body. Connie's plan was spot on. This was their moment and they had to take it. He nodded his head towards her and grabbed her arm. Daryl put his crossbow in front of him and Connie pulled her slingshot out of her back pocket. They ran down the hill towards the enemy, ready to attack.

….

**A/N:** Whew! Writing this fic has been such a thrill so far and I was very happy with the response to the first chapter. Thank you for your kind feedback! Please follow and review because I absolutely LOVE hearing what you think!

If you like this story, I would be over-the-moon happy to have you read my other fics. They are near and dear to me, as this fic is already, and I would love for as many people as possible to enjoy them too. If you do read them, start with _Flesh and Bone_ and feel free to tell me what you think of that one as well. Thank you again for supporting me in my writing and God bless friends!


	3. Chapter 3

**TRIGGER WARNING:**

This chapter has references to rape and sexual abuse

**Chapter 3: You're Welcome**

Daryl and Connie dragged the three bodies behind some nearby shrubs. Connie slid the dead mask off one of the Whisperers then drove her knife into the man's temple. Daryl pulled the masks off the other two, a man and a woman, and stabbed each of them in their heads. He removed the poncho off one of the dead men and motioned to Connie to remove the over shirt off of the dead woman. Daryl grunted as he rolled the bodies under the low sitting branches of the bushes. As soon as the last body was hidden, he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Let's go back to where we were before...up the hill," Daryl said, looking at Connie and pointing in the direction he was speaking of. Connie nodded and picked up the three masks, the poncho and the shirt. They quickly made their way back to where they had spent the morning watching the Whisperer camp.

Daryl tapped Connie's arm so that she faced him. "We'll wait til dark," he said. "It'll be easier to blend in after dark." She nodded her head in agreement.

The two sat in the shade of a tree, relieved to be resting after dealing with the three Whisperers. Connie grabbed a water bottle out of her bag. She took a drink then offered the bottle to Daryl. He looked at the bottle cautiously before taking it from her hands. He took a large sip and replaced the cap. 

"Thanks," he said, handing the bottle back to her.

Connie put her hand at the top of her head and circled it to underneath her chin. She mouthed the words "you're welcome" as she did it.

"That means 'you're welcome'?" Daryl asked as looked at her. Connie nodded. Daryl mimicked her action. "You're welcome," he stated as he made the sign. "Did I do it right?"

Connie smiled at him then nodded slowly. She made the "okay" sign as she mouthed the word "perfect" to him.

"Okay, how do you say..." Daryl stopped speaking. He was trying to think of a word or phrase that might actually be useful for him to learn. "How do you say...where? Like 'where are they?'"

Connie held her index finger up to her face and waved it back and forth as she mouthed the word "where".

"Where," Daryl said as he repeated the same action with his finger.

Connie nodded. Again she held her index finger up to her face and waved it back and forth as she mouthed the word "where". Then she moved her finger down in front of her chest and moved it out to her side. She mouthed the word "they". She put both motions together as she looked Daryl in the eyes and mouthed "where are they?"

Daryl clumsily moved his hand around, trying his best to mimic her actions. "Where are they?" he said.

Daryl's hands were too loose and Connie shook her head. She grabbed onto his hand gently and moved his fingers to the correct position then moved them in the right direction. Daryl stared at her, surprised again by her boldness.

"Where are they?" Daryl said again as he repeated the action, finally to Connie's satisfaction. She nodded this time, making the sign for perfect as she leaned up against the tree.

Daryl turned his attention from Connie to the Whisperer camp below. Connie sighed contentedly. It pleased her greatly that he was making the effort to communicate with her. It made her even happier that he was trying to learn her language. They were okay. Last night when the two of them were fumbling around in the dark, she was second guessing herself for coming with him. But today was different. Today she was feeling more comfortable with him. It surprised her how well they worked with each other.

But Connie could also see that there was darkness and mystery surrounding Daryl Dixon. She'd only known him a few days but the time and closeness they had shared together just over the last night and morning had hastened their connection. She could see just how guarded Daryl was. He carefully protected himself the same way he protected others.

Connie was able to read others exceptionally well. Humans communicated with so much more than just their voices. She was gifted at reading people's body language, expressions, gestures and eyes. Daryl was quiet but had a lot to say with every part of his body. And she was learning his language every bit as much as he was learning hers.

The first night before they left, the way he turned his shoulders away from her, made it clear that he didn't trust her. This morning he showed her with his awkward movements, just how uncomfortable she made him when she was staring at him. The way he chewed his lip when he wanted to say something and the way he looked away when he made the decision to not say it...the fearless way he leaned in when he was confident...Daryl had so much to say and she was paying attention.

Connie could tell just how difficult it was for him to hold eye contact for more than a few seconds. There was pain behind those hooded, gray blue eyes. Something, or more likely someone, had hurt him badly and it was obvious to her that he never healed completely from those old hurts. It was even obvious the lengths he would go to avoid being hurt again.

The pain and hurt in Daryl were easy to read for Connie. They were easy because she had been hurt too.

…..

The sun was beginning to set when Connie and Daryl prepared themselves for the Whisperer Camp. Connie slid her arms into the over shirt and buttoned it up quickly while Daryl put the poncho over his head. Daryl picked up the mask that the man wearing the poncho had on. He examined the mask closely, even going so far as to put it to his nose and smell it. "It don't smell as bad as I thought it would. They must treat it with some kinda chemicals or somethin'."

Connie looked closely at her mask too. The thought of wearing someone else's skin was horrifying but she knew it was the best way to get Lydia and Henry back.

"I done a lot of disgusting things over the last few years but I can't believe I'm gonna wear the skin of some dead bastard on my face." He was about to slip the mask over his head but Connie pushed his hands down. She put her index finger up in front of his face asking him to wait.

"What?"

Connie wrote in her notepad for much longer than she usually did. She finally handed the sheet of paper to Daryl.

_It's going to be dark soon  
I won't be able to see your mouth  
and I can't write any notes  
Is there anything we need to say  
before we do this?  
_

Daryl nodded and looked at Connie in the dimming sunlight, "Yeah...that's smart. Okay, if we get separated, we'll meet at the rocks where we stayed...where you slept. Do you remember where they are?" Connie nodded. "If things get ugly, take Henry and run there."

_And Lydia_, she thought to herself.

"If I ain't there in ten minutes, go back to The Hilltop and tell 'em what we saw at their camp. And when we go into their camp, follow my lead and stay close to me," Daryl said looking right into her eyes. "You stay close to me and I'll protect you. Okay?" Connie nodded.

"You ready?" Daryl asked, as he lifted the mask to his head.

Connie crossed both her middle and index fingers and moved them out from the center. "Ready," she mouthed.

They both slipped the skin masks over their faces and walked towards the camp.

…..

Alpha stood calmly between Lydia and Henry waiting for her daughter to pick up the knife thrown on the ground. Alpha's second in command, a ghastly and terrifying behemoth named Beta, held Henry in his powerful arms as the young boy squirmed and tried fruitlessly to break free.

Lydia trembled. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother meant exactly what she said when she told Lydia that if she didn't "kill the boy" that Beta would "kill them both". Lydia stared at the knife on the ground, willing herself to pick it up. She could kill Henry. She'd killed before and as horrifying as that was, it was better than facing her mother's consequences.

Lydia first killed a man when she was ten years old. She remembered it clearly like it had just happened. One of the men in their camp crawled into her tent and slid up against her while she tried to sleep. He draped his leg over her legs and put his sweaty hands all over her body. She froze at first, unsure of what to do. She cried and begged him to stop but he wouldn't. When the filthy animal started to slide her pants down, she reached into his belt and pulled a knife out. She stabbed it into his side. When he rolled his bleeding body off of hers, she pulled the knife out of his side and ran the blade across his neck.

Lydia dropped the knife to the ground and ran from her tent crying. She found her mother sitting at the campfire and threw her arms around her, sobbing into her chest. She told her what had happened – what the man had tried to do to her and what she did to stop him. Alpha pulled Lydia from her chest and stared at the young girl. She stroked her hair gently.

"There, there. Don't cry," Alpha said in a soothing, hypnotic tone as she comforted her. But Lydia didn't calm down. She continued to heave and cry unabashedly. "Shhh..." Alpha said with an ominous calm. When Lydia still didn't calm down, Alpha brought her back into a hug. She buried Lydia's face into her bosom and held her there tightly. Lydia was so relieved that her mother was finally giving her the comfort she desperately needed until she realized she couldn't breathe. She tried to pull away but Alpha held her against her chest. Lydia let out a muffled scream as she flailed her arms around, trying desperately to break out of her mother's crushing embrace. She panicked, slapping and kicking her mother but Alpha didn't move one inch. She held her daughter's head against her while the rest of her body thrashed about.

"Are you ready to stop crying, Lydia?" Alpha asked in an even and sedate voice. "If you are, I will let you go sweetheart." Lydia stopped moving and calmed her body. She nodded her head against her mother's chest. Alpha released the young girl and she fell to the ground gasping for air. She wanted to cry again but she knew better.

"There you go," Alpha said with a chilling grin on her face. "I knew you could be strong. If you're strong enough to kill a man trying to do things you don't like, then you're strong enough to not cry about it."

Since then, Lydia had killed many more times. The rule of the pack was that if you didn't like what another animal was doing, you had to fight for dominance. She, was an alluring, young beauty and was forced to dominate or be dominated. Sometimes she was able to fight off her attackers, but other times, she wasn't.

Lydia looked at Henry with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to kill him. He had shown her kindness and compassion which were completely foreign attributes to her. He had come to her rescue...twice. How could she murder the only person who had ever treated her as a human? She couldn't. She would rather die. And at this point, death didn't sound like the worst option.

Lydia stared at the knife on the ground. She refused to pick it up and braced herself for whatever consequences her mother would inflict upon her.

"Guardians!" someone screamed.

In a matter of seconds, the Whisperers were surrounded. The dead had flooded into their camp. Some managed to put their skin masks on and escape. Others fell to the ground screaming as they were cannibalized. Alpha and Beta turned their attention from Lydia and Henry to the chaos at hand.

"Lydia we need to go," Henry said as he looked at her. Lydia was unsure of what to do next. She looked through tear strewn eyes at what was happening around her. She watched as a walker wrapped his hand around Henry's arm.

"Keep yr' head down. We're leavin'," the walker said to Henry, in a hushed but commanding tone.

Henry was relieved to hear Daryl's voice coming from behind the mask. "Not without Lydia," he replied, asserting himself.

"The girl stays," Daryl stated.

"Then so do I."

Connie took down several walkers as Daryl and Henry debated. They had to hurry and leave.

"Henry..." Lydia said as she shook her head and cried.

"No, I'm not leaving you. I won't"

"Now!" Daryl said as he pulled Henry's forward by his shirt.

"Come on!" Henry yelled. He grabbed Lydia's arm and ran behind Daryl with Connie carrying up the back.

The foursome ran to where they Daryl had left Dog. Once Daryl retrieved his pet, they continued to run through the dark woods for several more minutes, trying to put as much distance between them and the Whisperers as possible. Henry tripped and fell to the ground. They all stopped to help him and catch their breath. Connie knelt next to him checking to see if he was alright.

As they rested they began to discuss their next move. Connie veraciously watched the three of them as they began to argue back and forth. It was dark and they all spoke over each other making it difficult to tell exactly what everyone was saying. Although she couldn't follow perfectly, she got the gist.

Daryl was angry and didn't want to take Lydia with them. Henry refused to leave Lydia's side and was convinced the two of them should run far away from everyone. Lydia herself was just confused and frightened. All she knew was that she couldn't go back to her people.

Connie had enough and knew that arguing here and now was unwise. She stood up from the ground and took command. She looked each of them in the eyes and waved her hands in the direction she wanted them to go.

"Naw, she's right," Daryl stated as he looked at Connie. "C'mon, we gotta go." He pulled Henry up from the ground, hurrying him along. "C'mon!"

Connie motioned for the three of them to follow her as she began walking away.

"It's this way!" Daryl exclaimed as he looked at Connie.

Connie shook her head and waved her arms, determined to have them follow her.

"Yeah, this way," Daryl stated with equal determination as he motioned in the opposite direction.

Connie stopped in her tracks, moving her hands firmly and precisely with stubborn resolution. She had been following Daryl's lead this entire time. She passively submitted to him to let him know he could trust her but she was done letting him decide every move they made, especially when she knew her move was better. She waved her hand, one last time and walked away decisively.

"Nah...nah," Daryl said as Henry and Lydia followed Connie. Daryl watched as his faithful companion deserted him in favor of going with her too. "Dog!" he shouted. But Dog didn't look back at his master as he ran behind Connie. Daryl watched her as Connie ran off without him. He muttered and snarled as he followed her too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Strong**

Daryl's instincts rarely betrayed him. It was also rare that he let someone else dictate where he should go and what his next move should be. But this morning his instincts told him to trust Connie. When they left the Whisperer territory she didn't ask him where to go or what to do. She confidently took the reigns without asking permission. She lead and for some reason, he just followed.

As he walked behind Connie in the early morning light, he studied her once again. He watched as she darted her eyes from one thing to another. He watched as she took down one walker after another. She didn't turn around to see if Daryl would protect her and the two teenagers. She did it herself.

They approached a large run-down apartment building in what would have once been considered a bad neighborhood. Of course there weren't really any bad neighborhoods anymore, just bad people that were no longer constrained by location or economic status.

Connie looked back at Daryl, Henry and Lydia. She pointed at herself, then at the three of them, then up towards the building.

"Take the high ground...yeah," Daryl said. He looked over at her as her pen scratched on her notepad.

_Chokepoint_

Once again, Daryl was both surprised and impressed with her strategy. "Good idea. C'mon."

"I don't understand," Henry said looking at Daryl.

"They use walkers to protect themselves, right? So we go up," Daryl explained, "someplace the walkers can't go. We separate the living from the dead. They travel in a herd but there's only like five or six of them in the middle, right?"

Lydia nodded. "Yeah but if we go up there, we're trapped," she stopped in her tracks and looked at Connie then Daryl apprehensively. "Alpha's not gonna send an army cause she doesn't have to. She'll send Beta."

Connie looked around at the mention of Beta's name as if he might show up at any second. Daryl watched as Connie knitted her brow together. Since joining him on this quest, he had consistently observed her with a cool, straight-forward and fearless demeanor. This was the first time he had seen her look worried. He didn't like it. He wanted her to feel safe.

"I'm sick of running," Daryl stated tenaciously. "This Beta, he's their best?"

Lydia nodded with another anxious look.

Connie watched Daryl as he stood up straight and leaned in towards Lydia. "Good. We'll kill him first. C'mon."

…..

The foursome made their way upstairs. The brightly lit floor they were on had been under construction and tools and lumber were strewn everywhere. Daryl walked the entire floor, making sure it was safe and preparing for the imminent attack.

Connie pushed a workbench off a large piece of plywood then slid the plywood across the floor. She jumped down beneath the floor and took stock of what she had hidden there. She was dusting off a first aid kit when she felt the vibration of footsteps on the floors. She looked up to see Daryl walking towards her.

"That stairwell's already barricaded..." Daryl said as he looked down at the stash of water, food and other supplies. "I guess you know that."

Connie climbed out from beneath the floor and handed Daryl a fresh bottle of water. "Thanks," he said. He chugged the water down as he watched her write.

_We stayed here once._

"Yeah a little secret stash for emergencies...smart"

Connie nodded and smiled. She motioned for Daryl to follow her and he did. She led him to a map on the wall which Daryl quickly studied.

Daryl turned and looked directly at Connie. "All right. There's only two ways up..that's good. I think these barricades are a little too barricaded," he said as he bumped his fists together trying his best to sign to her what he was saying. "So we'll cut open holes so that they can walk up here," he said making another generic motion. Connie gave him the thumbs up.

"All right? Thanks," he said giving her a nudge on her shoulder and smiling. "This place is good. This might work."

Daryl thought they had all their bases covered but he saw that something was on Connie's mind. She pulled her notepad out. Daryl leaned into her trying to read what she was about to tell him. She held the note up to him.

_Then what?_

"Then what?" Daryl said, reading her note out loud. "Then we go," Daryl replied assuredly as he looked at her. Connie wrote another note.

_The girl stays_

"Nah. No," Daryl said shaking his head adamantly.

Daryl's unwillingness to help Lydia angered Connie. She moved the pen on her notepad loudly and held it up to him again.

_The girl stays !_

"If we take her back, my friends die...your friends too!" Daryl stated stubbornly._  
_

Connie looked at him with impatience. She thought he was being dramatic.

"Give me this," Daryl said as he snatched the notepad out of her hand. Connie handed him the pen and he snatched that too. Daryl wrote something down quickly and handed it back to her.

_OUR FRIENDS  
WILL DIE_

Connie wasted no time in snatching the pen and notepad back out of his hand. She scribbled on the paper, ripped it out of the pad, handed it to Daryl then swiftly walked away, done with the conversation. Daryl watched her as she left, annoyed that he was being challenged. He looked down at the note.

_We have friends  
she doesn't_

…..

Connie, Henry, Lydia and Dog had all valiantly fought off five of the Whisperers. They finally had a moment to breathe and sat down on the floor trying to recover.

Connie cleaned and wrapped Henry's injured leg. The cut was deep and he would need stitches but the first aid she gave him would have to suffice for now. Connie wiped the sweat from her brow and pulled out her notepad. She wrote a note and handed it to the two teens.

_I think we're safe  
Going to check on Daryl  
_

Lydia grabbed Connie's arm and shook her head. "Don't go!" she whispered frantically. "Beta will kill you!" Connie immediately wrote another note and handed it to her.

_He might kill Daryl if I don't help him.  
I'll be fine - I'm strong_

Connie could see the terror in Lydia's eyes. She flexed her right arm and gave her a confident smile, not wanting to let on just how scared she was herself. She began to walk away but turned around towards Lydia and Henry. She wrote one last note to them.

_If anything happens to me or Daryl  
don't try to help  
Get back to hilltop fast  
Take care of each other_

Lydia and Henry stared back at Connie. They didn't want to agree to what she told them to do. Abandoning their rescuers didn't feel right. Connie could read their hesitation and quickly grabbed the note out of Lydia's hand, she scribbled hastily and handed it back to Henry this time. She knew he would make Lydia his priority.

_If anything happens to me or Daryl  
don't try to help  
Get back to hilltop fast  
__Take care of each other!  
_

Henry nodded towards Connie then looked at Lydia. Lydia looked at the note and finally conceded. "Okay," she said nodding her head. "We will."

…..

Connie moved around inconspicuously and silently. It didn't matter though. The noise from the fight between Daryl and Beta was the only thing that could be heard. She could feel the floors and rafters shaking as the two men crashed into each other sharing blow after blow. She crept behind a drop-cloth and peeked out from behind. Beta towered over Daryl. He was throwing him around like a ragdoll. Beta picked him up and threw him through a wall.

Connie wanted to help him but she remained hidden. She didn't scare easily but the thought of getting in between the raging, testosterone-filled battle terrified her. Besides, she had to protect Lydia and Henry. After all they had been through to get them back, she had to make sure they made it to safety.

Connie watched in horror as Beta held Daryl's face an inch away from a table saw. The blade of the saw touched his cheek and Connie couldn't stand back any longer. She pulled out her slingshot. She was just about to aim it at Beta's head when Daryl managed to break free from his hold. He spun around and stabbed Beta in the shoulder. It angered the giant and he threw Daryl to the ground again. Daryl crawled away while Beta attended to his stab wound. While he pulled the knife out of his shoulder, Daryl slipped away behind another drop-cloth, then slid into the floor where Connie's stash of food and supplies were hidden.

Beta searched for Daryl, walking through two drop cloths. He was sure Daryl was on the other side. Beta approached an elevator shaft, thinking Daryl might have climbed down. When he was near the opening, Daryl charged. He thrust his hands out an pushed Beta with all his strength, shoving him down the open shaft. Daryl looked down at his body laying at the bottom of the shaft. Daryl gathered the blood and spit in his mouth and spat down at the man sprawled out below, satisfied with his victory.

As Connie watched the whole exchange, she couldn't believe her eyes. Against all odds, Daryl had defeated the giant. Not only had he taken Beta out, he had taken out three other Whisperers. She had underestimated him. As she watched him walk away from the elevator shaft with a brisk and confident stride, she was captivated by the display of courage, muscle and raw strength she had just witnessed. Connie's heart raced in her chest as she watched him walk away.

…..

Daryl was anxious to leave but Connie insisted on cleaning him up first. She led him to a stool and pushed him onto the seat. She opened the first aid kit and took out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol. She drenched a cotton ball with the liquid and lifted it to Daryl's face. She stared into his gray eyes and to her surprise, he didn't turn away from her. He stared back unmoved, making Connie hesitate.

"You gonna do this?" Daryl asked impatiently. Connie swallowed then nodded her head. She gently pressed the cotton ball onto his face near his lips, cleaning the dried blood off. She moved her fingers up to his temple next to a deeper cut. A small amount of blood still trickled from the wound. She put pressure onto the cut with the cotton ball and she felt him flinch slightly beneath her touch.

Without really noticing, Daryl let his gaze linger on her for a moment. His eyes traveled from the creamy olive skin on her elongated neck up to her jawline, then to her round, rosy cheeks. He looked at her eyes framed by ringlets of dark brown curls. The deep brown, almost black of her pupils set against the pure white in her eyes illuminated her face. Daryl's eyes moved down the bridge of her nose and finally settled on her full and wide lips. Daryl turned his face away and exhaled. Her closeness to him and her hands touching him made him nervous.

Other than Carol, Daryl hadn't let anyone get this close to him in years – not for this long anyway. He'd been by himself for the most part. After Rick disappeared in that fateful explosion, Daryl spent nearly a year looking for his body. He wanted the closure and more than that, he wanted to give that closure to Michonne. He felt a heavy guilt from dragging Rick out on false pretenses when really he just wanted to keep him from Maggie's vengeance on Negan. It was stupid. He should have never lied to Rick. He should have backed him up as their leader, but he didn't. Instead he took Rick from his family. He never found his brother's body.

What Daryl did find in his desperate search for Rick, was the comfort of solitude. He always meant to come back to Alexandria or Hilltop, but from that point forward, it just got easier and easier being by himself.

Daryl found Dog in a litter of dead puppies. Dog was near death too but Daryl manged to miraculously save the pup and adopted him as his companion. Dog obeyed him, kept silent, proved himself useful and never challenged the surly archer. He was perfect for Daryl as he pursued his isolation.

Carol always knew where he was too but she also knew he wanted to be alone. She respected Daryl enough to leave him alone as he wished. She checked on him a few times a year but mostly left him to himself.

Solitude. That's all Daryl really wanted anymore. To be left alone with his guilt, regrets and the emptiness all the losses had made him feel.

Right now, Connie touching him stirred thoughts around inside his brain of why he craved the solitude. The tenderness she was showing Daryl actually pained him. It was an agonizing reminder of why he wanted to be by himself. Because anything good or beautiful in this world was just something to lose and mourn.

"That's good enough," Daryl said. Connie didn't see him speaking and didn't move away. He let her keep pressure on it for a few seconds longer before he raised his hand up to hers. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand away. She looked up at him.

"I'm good," he said looking straight at her. "We gotta get outta here."

Connie nodded. She replaced the cap on the bottle and put it back in the first aid kit.

Daryl slung his crossbow over his muscular shoulder and started to walk away. Connie tapped him on his arm before he got too far. He turned around and looked at her expectantly.

Connie stood there, shifting awkwardly as she built up the courage to tell him what she was thinking. She finally swallowed back her nerves and pointed at him. She mouthed the word "you" then she flexed her arms upward and mouthed something else, "you're strong."

Daryl's face and body were motionless. He stared back at her with the stoic, poker face she had already become accustomed to. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Daryl looked straight at her as he leaned forward. "You known me three days and you think you got me figured out but you don't. You don't know shit about me. I ain't strong," he scoffed. "Now c'mon. We're leavin'"

**A/N:** Sorry friends for taking so long to update. I'm trying to finish up my other story while juggling 3 kids and work. I think I'll have more time to write when summer comes around but that could be wishful thinking. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Drop a comment and let me know what you think. God bless!


	5. Chapter 5

**TLC**

"Judith, stay with your brother," Michonne called out to her little girl as she watched Aaron hurrying towards her. She could read the worry all over his face which troubled her immediately. "What is it?" she asked as she met him on the sidewalk.

"Daryl's at the gate," Aaron stated in a serious tone.

"And you didn't let him in?" Michonne asked in confusion.

"He's not alone," Aaron replied. Michonne and Aaron walked quickly towards the front gate then climbed the ladder. They looked over the other side of the enormous gate and saw Daryl was there along with Connie, Henry, Lydia and Dog.

Daryl looked up at Michonne, Aaron and Laura with desperation in his eyes. He knew the position he would be putting them in if they opened the gate and let them in, but he had to do it. He would do anything for Henry because he would do anything for Carol. "Henry's hurt...you were closest. I wouldn't have come but we had no other choice," he called up to them.

"What about her?" Michonne called back down as she eyed Lydia suspiciously.

Henry spoke up with boldness. "She's with us!" Daryl nodded in agreement.

Michonne immediately turned back towards Aaron. He was her most trusted friend and she respected his opinion more than anyone else within the walls of Alexandria. Before Michonne could even ask his advice, Aaron spoke. "We can't trust her."

Michonne sighed anxiously before looking back at Aaron. "But I trust Daryl." Despite Aaron's apprehension, she made the decision to let them in. "Open it," she called down decisively.

Michonne hurried down the ladder to see Daryl. She went to give him a hug but before she could, Judith had run up to him and thrown herself in his arms. "Daryl! I'm so happy you're here!" she said.

"It's good to see you too," Daryl replied as he held the little girl in his arms. The rare sting of tears filled his eyes as he tried desperately to keep the flood of emotions he was feeling under control. He finally set her down and went back to Henry to help him to the infirmary.

Judith stayed in step with Daryl as he walked with Henry. "I feel like it's been forever since you've been here!" she squealed as she looked up at his face with bright eyes. "R.J.'s gotten really big since the last time we saw you. I'm teaching him how to ride a bike."

"Yeah you both have gotten big. I barely recognize you," Daryl replied as he looked down at her with a crooked half-smile.

"Why haven't you come to Alexandria in so long? Where have you been?"

"I been here and there. Mostly out in the woods huntin' and fishin'. It's hard for me to come here 'cause..." Daryl looked away from Judith, trying to think of what to tell her. He couldn't tell her what he was thinking. He couldn't tell her how painful it was to be there. He couldn't say how the perfect rows of houses and on the perfectly tree-lined streets of Alexandria made him think of how much he didn't belong there. He couldn't tell her that when he saw her and her mom and R.J. all he could think of was Rick. "...it's hard for me to come here 'cause it's far away from where I live."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Judith replied. "Well how long are you going to stay?"

Daryl stopped walking as he looked down at Judith. He studied the worn, gold tassels resting on the wide brim of her hat. Although the big brown sheriff's deputy's hat looked big sitting atop her head, it still fit the little girl. Maybe it fit simply because she was a Grimes. Daryl thought back to the same hat on top of Rick's head then later on, Carl's. He began to walk again as he finally answered her question. "We ain't stayin' long. As soon as we get Henry stitched up, we gotta go."

…..

It was just past 6:30 in the evening as Daryl sat in the guard tower by himself. He liked the guard towers. He could usually be alone up there, watching from above while he brooded. He looked at the massive wall that surrounded the community. The place where he had once lived now looked foreign and unfamiliar to him. It had never felt like a home to him and now it felt even less like one. Alexandria was just one more reminder of Rick and Carl. They were long gone but that's where most of his memories of them remained. Even though Daryl and his traveling companions were safe and secure in Alexandria, he was anxious to leave. Michonne wasn't comfortable with them being there either. Despite her opening the gates to them, he knew they couldn't stay. She wouldn't break her rules for anyone, not even Daryl.

Daryl chewed on his thumb thinking about the best way to get to The Kingdom. He kept his eyes peeled in every direction for any sign of The Whisperers. Daryl was careful to cover his tracks but he would never forgive himself if bringing Lydia here brought any harm to Michonne, her family or the community. He heard footsteps coming up the ladder and watched as the hatch opened at his feet.

Connie stepped inside the guard tower and gently closed the hatch. She was the last person Daryl wanted to see. He was trying his best to mentally prepare for the journey to The Kingdom and Connie being there would just be a distraction from that.

Daryl glanced at her then quickly moved his eyes back to keep watch. It wasn't just the fact that she distracted him. He felt bad about the way he'd spoken to her earlier. She was trying to say something kind to him and he responded by insulting her. He had avoided talking to her the entire day as they made their way to Alexandria. But her being alone with him now would make it impossible to keep her at arm's length any longer.

Connie nudged his arm and Daryl turned to face her. She held out a plate of food: a ground venison patty, carrot sticks and a roll.

Daryl shook his head and looked away. Connie rolled her eyes, pursed her lips and put the plate in front of him again.

Daryl looked at her, "Bad enough we brought Lydia here...I ain't taken their food from them too. Besides, they need it."

Connie impatiently set the plate on the floor and pulled her notepad out. She scribbled quickly and handed it to him.

_You need it!  
If u r gonna get us  
to the kingdom  
u have to eat_

Daryl handed the note back to her and resumed his watch. He could hear her writing then felt her nudge his arm again. He snatched the note from her hand and read it.

_You don't eat u don't sleep  
How do u expect to protect those kids  
if u don't take care of yourself? _

"You ain't gotta worry about me or Henry or Lydia. And I been takin' care of myself long before you came along," Daryl barked. He turned away once more just in time to hear her writing again. This time she placed the note in his hand more forcefully than before.

_Why r u so stubborn?  
Do you have a  
problem with me?_

Daryl scoffed as he stared her down. He could tell she wasn't going to let up. He picked the plate of food up off the floor and tore into the venison with his hands. "There. You happy? And just so you know, I ain't the stubborn one, you are."

Connie wrote again as Daryl looked over the side of the tower. She handed him yet another note. She slapped it to his chest and he grabbed it as he watched her turn away.

_Ok maybe we're both stubborn  
but only one of us is an asshole_

Connie pulled the hatch on the floor open and started to descend the ladder.

"Wait," Daryl said to her. She didn't hear him and continued to climb down. "Wait," Daryl said again, this time grabbing her hand. She pulled her hand away as she looked up at him from below. She stood still waiting on the steps of the ladder as she waited for him to speak. "Come back up." She didn't obey and Daryl could see in her eyes that she was utterly unmoved by his demand. "_Please_, come back up."

Connie slowly stepped up the ladder and closed the hatch behind her. She planted herself in front of Daryl, staring at him with her hands on her hips.

Daryl awkwardly stood still trying to think of what to say next. He had been treating her unfairly and she was right to call him out on it. Even though he didn't quite know what to do or how to act around her, he did know that he didn't want her to think he was a brash, uncaring asshole, even if he'd been acting like one. He respected her and for whatever reason, he wanted her to respect him too. As much as he was trying to push her away, he still couldn't help being drawn to her.

"We should talk," Daryl finally said.

Connie put her palms up at her sides, as if to ask him "about what?"

"I don't want you mad at me. We got a long walk to the Kingdom and we should clear the air."

Connie wrote on her pad and showed it to him.

_Air is clear on my side  
You have something to say?_

Connie wasn't making it easy on Daryl. He chewed on his bottom lip then turned around. He looked around outside again then looked back at her. He sighed then opened his mouth. "I'm not always good with people."

"Why?" she mouthed to him as she signed the word.

"Why?" Daryl asked. Connie nodded. "Because I...I been alone for a long time."

"Why?" she mouthed and signed again.

"Because it's..." Daryl started then looked away again. He paced back and forth in the small space like a wild animal, trapped in a cage. He felt cornered and confused as he moved around anxiously. Connie placed her hand gently on his arm, trying to still him. He stopped moving. He stood silently as he looked at her hand on his arm. She raised her hand up and touched her fingertips to his lips then moved the same hand to her chest.

"You want me to talk to you?" Daryl asked. Connie nodded slowly.

"Why?" Daryl asked shaking his head. Connie wrote on her notepad and handed it to Daryl.

_Because I care_

Connie pulled the notepad back out of his hand and added something.

_Because I care  
about you_

Daryl said nothing. The warmth and allure of her face mesmerized him, as he stood there motionless. The longer he stared into her dark, captivating eyes the more he felt lost in them. He felt restless in his skin...confused. Part of him wanted to run away but another part of him wanted to stay...stay with her. He wanted to let all the thoughts jumbled painfully inside his head spill out onto her. He believed her when she said that she cared about him. He felt it. But he couldn't do it. He was paralyzed by his own crooked emotions telling him that it would never be safe enough to let anyone inside. He was just about to turn his back to her again but he watched her writing.

_Why are you alone?_

Daryl read the note then handed it back to her. Connie put her fingers on his mouth again then pointed to her chest.

Daryl gazed into her eyes again. They were willing him to speak. "I'm alone because..." he paused and looked away. She put her hand on the side of his face and pulled it back to face her straight on. "...because it's easier to be alone."

Connie stared back at him with compassion in her eyes. She shook her head at him. She wrote a note and showed it to him.

_Not easier  
Just lonelier_

This was too much. Daryl was overwhelmed by all the thoughts and emotions swirling inside his head. He was overwhelmed by her closeness and her touch. "I gotta get outta here," he said as he tried to move past her.

Connie pushed her body in front of his and put her foot on the hatch. "Wait," she mouthed as she put her hand on his chest. She scribbled quickly on her notepad and placed it in his hands.

_Don't go  
No more questions  
Just stay_

"Nah, I gotta get outta here."

_Just do 1 thing for me  
and I won't ask for  
anything else_

"What?" Daryl practically snorted.

_We leave after dark  
Please eat and rest_

"I can't. I gotta keep watch."

_Eat, close your eyes  
Let me keep watch_

"No!" Daryl said, asserting himself. He tried to turn away from her and walk away but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face her. She held onto his arm as she looked into his eyes. Daryl bore his eyes back into her. Neither of them even blinked as they held the stare for what seemed like much longer than it actually was.

The silent standoff continued as Connie practically forced Daryl to let her take care of him. Care was not something he was ever on the receiving end of. He rarely let anyone get close enough to give it to him. She was different though. She wouldn't be scared away or held back by his stubborn and abrasive demeanor. She clearly saw what he needed and wouldn't relent in giving it to him.

Daryl reached down and picked up the plate of food. He crouched into the corner of the guard tower and practically inhaled the meal while Connie now watched over the side of the tower. It was the first decent meal he'd had since they left Hilltop. When he was finished Connie walked over to him and took the plate from his hands. He was about to stand up but she pressed her hand onto the top of his shoulder. He looked up at her knowing that she wasn't done telling him what to do. Connie's hand moved from his shoulder up the side of his face and to his forehead. Her fingertips trailed down his face and pushed his eyelids downward. Her bold gesture didn't give leave Daryl much room for interpretation. She wanted him to sleep. She wanted him to be well-rested before yet another perilous journey. Daryl wanted it too and he was far too exhausted to fight her again. When Connie lifted her hand from his face, Daryl left his eyes closed. He was asleep within seconds.

**A/N:**Since I don't want to stop writing over the summer and I don't know what's going to happen on the show, I think this train is going to go off the rails very soon. I'm leaving the canon to do my own thing. After all, the show's season finale left us wondering if we are more likely to see a Daryl/Carol future than a Daryl/Connie one. I'm actually not convinced that we couldn't see a Daryl/Aaron pairing because I think Angela Kang likes to really pull the rug out from under the audience. I was actually a Daryl/Carol shipper for a long time but I thought that ship had sailed a few years back. Now with Carol and Ezekiel splitting up, I'm not so sure. What it boils down to is that I really just want Daryl to find love.

Anyhow folks, I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. Drop a comment and let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Family Reunion**

Daryl, Connie, Henry, Lydia and Dog made it safely to the Kingdom. Michonne must have had a change of heart because while they were on their way to the Kingdom, she had shown up out of the blue with Judith in their horse-drawn vehicle. She insisted that they would escort them the rest of the way and get them there safely.

Daryl understood why Michonne wouldn't let them stay but he couldn't pretend that it didn't feel like she was turning her back on them in their time of need. He couldn't pretend it didn't hurt. And although he preferred to be alone, it saddened him how disjointed everyone else had become. The once tight-knit family that had slept huddled together in RVs, prison cells and barns, were now so isolated from each other. Each community with their own sets of preferences, concerns and fears, separated themselves for one reason or another. Daryl was as guilty as the rest.

But Daryl's jaw dropped when he saw Michonne and Judith meet them on the road to the Kingdom. He was both surprised and happy to see his friend. His heart was content when he realized his family wasn't as far away as he thought they were. And now, everyone being at the fair, would unite them all that much more.

When the gates to the Kingdom were opened, heart-felt reunions were abundant.

Carol and Ezekiel were relieved and overjoyed to see Henry. They threw their arms around their boy as soon as he slowly limped towards his parents.

Michonne and Judith greeted people they hadn't seen in years. Carol stared at the familiar brown hat with the gold tassels. The girl wearing the hat was the spitting image of Carol's friend from long ago, Lori Grimes. "Judith?" she asked Michonne as tears welled up in her eyes. Michonne nodded with a tender smile. Carol looked back at Judith. "Do you remember us?"

"I've been drawing pictures of you since I was little. You're Carol and you're The King," Judith said precociously as she nodded at each of them.

Magna, Luke and Yumiko happily and briskly walked towards Connie, pleased and relieved to see their friend. Kelly ran past them as fast as she could, throwing herself into her big sister's arms. Connie closed her eyes while she held Kelly's thin frame tightly. When she finally pulled away to look at her face she saw a scowl looking back at her.

_What's wrong?_ Connie signed.

Kelly shook her head, ignoring the question. Connie nudged her, wanting to know what had her so upset.

_ You left without saying goodbye,_ Kelly signed back.

Connie tenderly caressed Kelly's arm but her sister pulled away. After a few seconds, Kelly faced her sister again.

_Any goodbye could be the last. What if you die? You are my sister but you just ran off. _Kelly looked down at the ground in sadness and frustration as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Connie had let her down. Kelly couldn't even remember the last time that had happened. Her big sister had always been there for her, putting Kelly's needs far ahead of her own. She couldn't believe that Connie had just left her without so much as a word. For the last few days, Kelly was wrought with worry, imagining the worst.

_I'm sorry. I didn't think._ Connie shook her head and plead for forgiveness with her eyes. _They were going to let that baby die. And it brought back a lot of feelings.._._feelings that I thought I'd dealt with but I guess not. I just push it all down. _Connie stopped. She couldn't continue as she felt herself almost choking on her emotions. Her mind immediately went to a dark place in her past where she rarely let herself go. Thinking of that time was far too painful and she avidly tried to avoid it. Whenever the crushing grief came to the forefront, she would do almost anything to push it away.

But Kelly was safe. Kelly knew her and knew that part of her. She was, in fact, the only one alive that _did_ know about that significant piece of her life. She was safe. Connie turned away from Kelly, trying her best to hold back her tears.

_It's okay. I get it. _Kelly signed back, trying to alleviate some of her sister's guilt and anguish. Kelly wrapped her arms around her and Connie reciprocated, holding onto Kelly firmly. As they embraced, Connie promised herself that she would never let her little sister down this way again.

…..

Lydia had been taken from her family and retribution was inevitable. The Whisperers would likely go back to the only place they associated with the people who had taken Lydia, The Hilltop. It was decided by Michonne, Carol, Ezekiel, Tara and the other leaders that they had to protect The Hilltop community and a team was assembled to go to there. They would inform them of the latest developments and give reinforcements if an attack should transpire.

Daryl would lead the team going to Hilltop. He was ready to leave and just waiting for Carol, Michonne, Yumiko, Magna, Dianne and several others. He knelt down to the ground and scratched Dog on the scruff of his neck affectionately. He caught Connie out of the corner of his eye as she was walking towards him. Daryl stood up straight and took a few steps towards her. Connie pulled her notepad out of her pocket and held out a note that she'd already written, up for him to see.

_Be safe_

Daryl nodded as he looked her in the eye. "You too."

Connie smiled as she turned away but she didn't get far. Daryl quickly pat her on the shoulder and straightened up again before she turned back to face him.

"Hey, you think you could feed my dog?" Daryl asked awkwardly as he made a sign for eating.

Connie was taken aback. Daryl wanted something from her and he was actually asking for it. She hadn't known him long but she had already become well-acquainted with the way he operated. It was no small request for him to ask her to take care of one of the few things he treasured. She was more than flattered, she was honored. Connie smiled, trying to hold back some of her enthusiasm. She didn't want him to know that _she_ knew how big of a step it was in their relationship for him to ask a favor of her. She nodded her head, still smiling, as she pat her leg to get the canine's attention. Dog eagerly followed her as she walked away with a spring in her step.

Connie had already turned from Daryl but he slowly waved goodbye to her as he watched her and Dog leave.

…..

Daryl moved quietly through the woods with the team of others right behind him. They had been on the road to The Hilltop for a couple of hours. They took a short break from walking, stopping to take a breath and a drink. As they rested beneath the cover of the tall Chestnut trees, Carol slid her hand into Daryl's and pulled it up to her face. She held it tightly as she kissed the back of his hand.

Daryl looked back at Carol with the same bewildered look he always had with her. As well as he knew Carol, sometimes she still confused the hell out of him. "What was that for?_"_

"Thank you for bringing him back to me," Carol replied holding back her tears.

"He ran off chasing after the girl. I had to."

"It was still a choice for you to follow him and bring him back. You need to know that."

"Nah, it wasn't."

Carol gave Daryl a tentative smile as she put her pack on her shoulders again. As they resumed their walk Carol continued. "Zeke didn't want him to go to Hilltop. He was afraid something like this would happen."

"Ain't nothin' you can do to protect kids from everything. True before and even truer now."

"Yeah but I told him it would be okay. I told him that he was being overprotective and that we needed to let him spread his wings." Carol hung her head with a defeated look. "I was wrong."

"You weren't wrong," Daryl argued.

Carol sighed softly. "Maybe not. I just don't know what I'd do without him. It's like God gave me a second chance after Sophia and Ed. Henry and Ezekiel are my second chance and I don't want to mess things up with them."

Daryl scoffed loudly.

"What?" Carol asked defensively.

"It ain't always gonna be up to you. You know how it is. Anything could happen at any time and it ain't _you_ messin' it up if it does. Shit happens and sometimes it's nobody's fault. Besides," Daryl continued thoughtfully, "bein' your second chance is a tall order for them to live up to."

"It doesn't make it any less true. The people I choose to love now, I have to make it work because if I don't..." Carol looked at the ground and wiped her eyes again,"...I'm not sure I could go on."

"You're stronger than that," Daryl argued.

"I'm only strong when I have to be...and I don't always want to have to be. I'd rather just make things work this time so that maybe I don't have to be so strong."

"So what, bein' strong, that's just an act? Like you can just turn it off and on? I seen what you can do."

"Not everyone's the same, Daryl. Not everyone can be strong all the time. Sometimes I still feel like the weak woman that got beat up by her husband. The weak woman, too scared to go look for her little girl when she ran from the highway and out into the woods."

"That ain't you no more."

"It's a part of me...probably always will be. I can be real with you, Daryl. I don't have to pretend like I'm a warrior all the time."

"You ain't real with him? You pretend?"

"I play a part."

"What the hell does that mean?" Daryl asked flippantly.

"It means we all do what we need to do to get by. I played a part with Ed and I'm playing one now. This part's better."

"But it ain't the real you."

"Not many people wouldn't want to know the real me," Carol chuckled halfheartedly.

Daryl scoffed again. "That's a load of shit. I know you. And if he really loves you, than he should be able to know you too."

"It doesn't matter Daryl. The fact is, I'm happy now. I wasn't before and I am now. Love doesn't look like it does in storybooks."

"I wouldn't know what it looked like if it bit me in the ass."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Carol replied with a knowing grin. Daryl snorted. "You can't fool me, Daryl Dixon. I know you same way you know me. You have this big heart that's meant for more...more than just family and friendship." Carol looked away and stared ahead into the distance, avoiding eye contact with her best friend. "I tried to get to that part of your heart a long time ago. I realized that part wasn't meant for me but it's meant for someone...I know it."

"Fallin' in love is bullshit. Maybe it's workin' for you but it didn't work out for Michonne. Didn't work out for Maggie...Abraham, Sasha, Tara, Aaron. Hardly _ever _works out. Love makes you weak...makes you stupid." Daryl looked at Carol. "I guess it makes you pretend to be someone you're not. It ends and it usually ends bad. It's just a mistake waitin' to be made."

"Now there's the grouchy lone wolf I've missed so much," Carol said as she ruffled Daryl's shaggy hair. "I know you have to put on that cantankerous, unlovable front for everyone else, but it's me, Daryl. And I know there's still hope for you...I know it. The right woman's just gotta come along and slap some sense into you."

Daryl froze momentarily. As soon as Daryl heard Carol's words, "the right woman" his mind immediately went to Connie. He would have liked to say that it surprised him, but it didn't. He'd been thinking about her more and more over the last few days. It did however, piss him off. He didn't want that. He'd gone this long without some sappy or tragic love story in his life and he was pretty sure he could go without it til the day he died. He didn't want to love a woman that way and it angered him that his heart wasn't better aligned with his brain. He shook his head as he grimaced, trying to clear his mind of his thoughts of her.

"Love is for a lot of people but not me. I'm happy for you Carol...that you found it. Even if it ain't all you ever wanted, I'm glad you got something...got someone. But it's never gonna be that way for me." Daryl's pace increased as he walked ahead of his best friend. "Just ain't gonna happen."

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Drop me a line to tell me what you think of things so far...or where you think this story will go. God bless!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Departed**

The team on their way to The Hilltop were stopped in their tracks immediately when they spotted the overturned cart. Upon further investigation, they realized that something horrible had happened to the passengers.

Daryl wandered further out into the woods while the others continued to look at the crime scene. When he returned several minutes later, Dianne approached him with something in her hand. She held up a wooden coin with an "H" carved into it. "These are from Hilltop. Hilde makes them."

"Who's Hilde?" Daryl asked.

"Pretty long-haired blonde lady...married to a guy named Miles. They haven't been at Hilltop long...maybe less than a year. I met them a few weeks ago on the last trade The Kingdom made there," Dianne replied.

"There's a lot of blood here," Daryl said as he continued to look over the scene, "but I checked, and there ain't no bodies anywhere around here."

"Walkers could have taken them," someone from the team spoke up.

"Nah," Daryl replied. "Walkers don't drag off their prey. If walkers had got to them, they'd be feastin' on 'em right here."

"You think they were taken by Whisperers," Carol stated.

Daryl nodded. "If they got hurt, they'd go back to Kingdom – it ain't that far. But the blood trail goes in the opposite direction of Kingdom. It don't lead to Hilltop neither. The blood leads to the middle of nowhere."

"They could still be alive - injured but alive," Michonne replied hopefully. "Those skin jobs could have taken them thinking they could use them as bargaining chips."

"They're sick assholes...who knows what they want 'em for," Daryl stated.

"That's why we need to find them," Michonne said as she nodded towards Daryl.

Daryl looked at the team. "Y'all keep makin' your way to the Hilltop – they need you there. Carol, Michonne and me, we'll keep lookin' for Hilde and Miles."

"I'll go with you too," Yumiko said looking from Daryl to Magna.

"Alright then," Daryl nodded confidently. "Everyone knows what to do."

…..

The noise of the chirping birds woke Carol up. She had actually fallen asleep while she was walking for just a few seconds. It had been a long night and none of them had slept at all. With her eyes now wide open, she saw Daryl in the distance walking towards her, Michonne and Yumiko. She exhaled loudly, thanking God that her friend was okay. Beta and the rest of the Whisperers released the three of them not long after they ambushed them. But Alpha took Daryl away and Carol was terrified thinking of what could be happening to him. As soon as she saw him disappear with the psychotic woman, she was sure she'd never see Daryl again.

As they neared each other, Daryl's stride hastened until Carol threw herself into his arms.

"Thank God you're okay. I thought you were dead."

"I'm alright," Daryl replied in a comforting tone. "We gotta keep movin though. We need to get to Hilltop to warn them."

"Warn them about what? What did she say to you?" Michonne inquired as they walked up a large hill to an open field.

"She said not to cross into their territory. She's got a hoard of walkers...probably 10,000 of 'em. She took me high up on that mountain range west of Sperryville to show me the walkers. She said if we cross their boarders she'll bring the dead to our gates. She's got her people inside the herd controlling it - steering them wherever she wants."

"We're not letting that monster decide things for us," Carol stated adamantly. "We're not going back to the way things were with Negan and the Saviors."

Daryl looked at Carol thoughtfully."I know that. They ain't gonna control and terrorize us but we gotta be smart. We gotta make a plan. We stay out of their territory until we figure that plan out."

"And where exactly is their territory?" Michonne asked.

Before Daryl could answer, he and the three women made it to the top of the hill and saw something on the horizon.

"What are those?" Yumiko asked with a sick feeling.

The four walked faster, wasting no time as they got closer and closer to the ominous scene. As they approached, the macabre and horrific spectacle became clear.

Heads on pikes, ten of them, were there right in front of them.

Blood ran down their cheeks as their jaws snapped. The lifeless, clouded eyes stared back at them. The foursome walked slowly identifying each one of the decapitated heads gruesomely displayed: Ozzy, Alek, Tammy Rose, DJ, Rodney, Frankie, Tara, Enid, Father Gabriel and Kelly.

"No! Oh God, no!" Michonne screamed as her eyes went from side to side, trying to take in all she was seeing.

Carol fell to her knees, weeping for their fallen friends and family. Daryl knelt down close by, wrapping his arms around Carol to comfort her. "It's okay. It's okay."

Carol shook her head as she cried, "No, no... it's not okay!"

"It's gonna be. We'll get these bastards," Daryl growled under his breath,"every last one of 'em."

"No," Yumiko replied breathlessly. "We can't. You said they have a 10,000 head herd. You said they control it. They have a human army too. We can't fight that."

"This ain't your call!" Daryl snapped as he stood up. "Your people been her for a week and you think you're callin' the shots?"

Yumiko lowered her head and walked towards one of the pikes. She took her knife out of her sheath and held it up to Kelly's head. Tears ran down her cheeks as she drove the knife into her friend's skull.

Daryl watched Yumiko cry softly as she tried to slide Kelly's head off the pike. She wasn't tall enough to lift it off. Daryl quickly walked to her side.

"I'll get her," Daryl said. He carefully slid Kelly's head off the pike and held it in front of Yumiko. Yumiko took off her jacket and then her plaid shirt. She laid her shirt on the ground and took Kelly's head from Daryl. She began to sob as she laid the head on the shirt and wrapped it up. Daryl put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. You lost just as much here and you got just as much say in what we do next."

Yumiko nodded as she wiped her eyes.

Michonne came to the others, now somewhat composed. "Let's take the other's down too. We probably can't carry them all back right now but we can at least take them down and put them somewhere safe."

"Nah, we ain't leavin' 'em here. You carry what you can and I'll carry the rest."

…..

When the four made it back to the Kingdom, they discreetly set the remains of the ten outside the gate. They were laying on a gurney Yumiko and Carol had made while Daryl and Michonne removed the rest of the heads from the pikes after putting them to rest.

Ezekiel ran to Carol, excited and surprised to see her. His excitement was short-lived when he saw the blood on her clothes and the look of despair on her face.

"What...what happened?" Ezekiel asked as Carol buried her head into his chest.

The others began to gather towards the front gate. Daryl watched as Michonne began to tell the crowd exactly what had happened. Weeping erupted throughout as the details were explained and the identities of the victims were revealed.

Daryl's eyes moved through the crowd searching for one person in particular. He finally found her and moved in closer. He watched Luke holding onto Connie as Yumiko signed to her. He watched Connie collapse to the ground as silent tears poured down her face. He could feel the agony radiating from her from twenty feet away.

Daryl's mind flashed back to a decade ago to when he had found his big brother dead. Daryl rarely cried but he remembered sobbing uncontrollably when he found Merle. His brother was a contemptible, hot-headed, racist but he was family - the only family Daryl really thought he had at the time. It was a sad and surreal feeling to lose the only person you shared any DNA with. The only person who knew you before the world turned to shit. The dead world had made orphans of almost everyone still alive, but knowing that fact didn't make it any easier. Connie had lost her little sister and Daryl knew her heart was breaking over it.

Daryl stared at Connie as she crouched on the ground, surrounded by her friends and weeping. Luke held her close and she cried into his shoulder.

Daryl was heartbroken about the deaths of Tara, Enid and Gabe but right now, all he could think about was Connie's loss. More than anything, he wanted to go to her and pull her into his arms to comfort her. He pictured himself holding her head to his chest as she cried. He could almost feel her tears on his skin. Connie was so determined to take care of Daryl when he needed it but now, she needed it, and he desperately wanted to take care of her.

Daryl rocked on his heels, trying to push himself in her direction. His heart raced in his chest as he looked at her. He took one step forward than stopped. He stepped back and hung his head. He couldn't do it. It wasn't his place. She had her people around her, comforting her. She didn't need him.

It wasn't the time for tears and consolation anyway. They had just been attacked and Daryl knew what had to be done. They would bury their dead and strike back.

Daryl took one last look at Connie before he turned and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Atonement**

It had been a long day. Daryl stood by and listened to Carol, Ezekiel, Michonne and the other leaders going back and forth in sadness and frustration about what their next move should be. There was talk of obeying the boundaries set before them in order to prevent more bloodshed. And of course there was talk of retaliation. After all they had fought through, how could they just sit back and cower to the demands of murderous lunatics?

Daryl's head spun as he contemplated it all. It wasn't in him to give in and be controlled. It wasn't in him to see evil go unpunished and unchecked. It was an insult to the sense of justice he possessed. But the thought of taking his revenge and seeing more people he cared for die for it, kept him quiet. The discussion was tabled for the day and it was decided that everyone should sleep on it.

As Daryl kept watch from the guard tower alone, he thought back to a horrific incident from seven years earlier - an incident he replayed in his head nearly every day.

Daryl pictured his family and himself on their knees, on a cold, dark night, surrounded by dozens of The Saviors and their leader, Negan. They watched in horror as Negan bashed in the head of their comrade, Abraham Ford. After the gruesome execution, Negan mocked and taunted Rosita. Daryl couldn't just stay on is knees and watch his friend be demeaned and humiliated after witnessing her lover get murdered. He stood up and attacked Negan, landing a powerful blow into his jaw.

Daryl didn't do what Negan said and because of that, Negan killed another person. Glenn. Daryl watched in agony as the twisted monster beat Glenn's head to a pulp. Daryl's friend was murdered because he retaliated. The sickening guilt Daryl felt about Glenn overwhelmed him to a point of despair Daryl had never known. Maggie buried her husband because of Daryl's actions. Hershel Rhee would never meet his father because Daryl's sense of justice compelled him to stand up to the evil in front of him.

It hadn't been worth it then and Daryl doubted it would be worth it now. He didn't want more blood on his hands.

When they first came across their murdered loved ones on the pikes, Daryl was ready to fight. His blood boiled under his skin at the thought of what they had done. But as he contemplated what another long and bloody war would look like, he realized what they had to lose and began to reason that backing down would be the more peaceful solution. Daryl Dixon wasn't the hotheaded roughneck he was a decade ago. He was pragmatic. He had a family he loved and he would do anything to protect them including swallowing his pride.

Daryl turned around quickly when he heard a noise at the gate. He looked over the side of the guard tower and saw Connie scaling the wall. She straddled the top of the gate before lowering herself down. She held on to the top of the gate before letting go and dropping down at least another 6 feet. Daryl watched her fall to the ground.

"What the hell are you doin'?" He shouted down to her mindlessly. He felt foolish calling out to her when he knew she couldn't hear him. Force of habit. "Hey!" he yelled again, this time shining his flashlight down at her to get her attention.

Connie covered her eyes from the bright light then looked up to the guard tower. She stared back at Daryl as she quickly stood up and dusted off her pants. She held his gaze for a long time. Daryl saw anger and anguish looking back at him. He plead to her with his own eyes not to leave. But she was resolved in her mission and turned away. He watched her as she disappeared from his sight.

Daryl swung the hatch open and was down the ladder in seconds. "Cal!" Daryl called out. Cal walked over to Daryl quickly. "Gimme your walkie and take watch for me."

"Sure man," Cal replied in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Connie jumped the wall and I"m goin' after her. Don't you let anyone else come lookin' for us. It ain't safe out there." Daryl let out a distinct whistle and Dog came charging from the porch at Barrington House.

Daryl opened the gate and ran out with Dog at his heels.

…..

Connie walked swiftly down the dirt road. The moon lit her path well enough for her to see where she was going. She felt the sting of her tears as she breathed heavily with her fists at her sides.

As she continued down the road, several walkers appeared in front of her. Without hesitation, she pulled three rocks out of her bag and placed one in the leather pad of her slingshot. She pulled the rock back and released it. The rock flew through the air and stopped once it landed in the skull of one of the dead. She skillfully repeated the motions and took down another walker. She placed another rock in her slingshot and aimed it at the third walker. The rock missed its skull and went through his cheek instead.

The walker continued to advance towards her and became too close for her to use the slingshot. She dropped the slingshot, pulled her knife from her sheath and quickly stabbed it into the corpse's skull. Before she could take a breath, the other two walkers stood in front of her. She charged one and stabbed her knife into his forehead. She slid the knife back out and spun on her heel, landing the blade into the other walker's neck. She collapsed on top of the dead body and continued to stab her knife into it. It continued to snarl back at her as she ran the blade into it over and over again. Blood splattered everywhere as Connie moaned in anguish. With one final movement, she ran the knife into the walker's head, completely silencing it.

Connie's body shook as tears poured out of her eyes and onto the dead body beneath her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around on her knees. Her knife cut through the air as Daryl jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding his abdomen being sliced open. She stood up as fast as she could and looked at Daryl. With one quivering hand, she held the knife out towards him while she wiped the blood off her face with the back of her other hand.

Daryl raised both his hands into the air in surrender as he bore his eyes into Connie's. He wasn't exactly sure of her intentions but she was in attack mode. He thought he would be better off if she could see his submissiveness and let her make the next move.

Connie lowered her weapon but they both stood frozen in place, staring each other down. The tension of the moment was intense as they stood still, unsure of one another. The exhaustion and heartbreak on her face moved Daryl and he wished he could do something to alleviate her pain. He gazed at her tenderly.

Connie finally dropped her knife and began to heave and cry. She took one step forward and collapsed into Daryl's arms. Daryl let his crossbow slide down his shoulder and onto the ground as he felt her body fall into his. His powerful arms immediately wrapped themselves around her slight frame.

Connie buried her face into Daryl's chest as she sobbed uncontrollably. He could feel her tears soak through his shirt as he held her tightly. He tried to steady her but her body shook in his arms. Daryl rested his cheek on top of her head and closed his eyes. As good as it felt to hold her and comfort her, it felt just as good to be held. He kept his arms around her for another minute before she began to calm down.

When Connie had finally regained her composure, she made no attempt to move from Daryl's grasp. She felt safe there. She felt secure and calm in the strength of his steadfast embrace.

Daryl finally pulled away slightly and released her from his arms but his hands moved up her arms and neck. He put each of his hands on either side of her face and pulled her eyes up to look at him.

"What are you doing out here?" Daryl asked in exasperation. "You shouldn't be out here alone."

Connie stared back up at Daryl. The feeling of his calloused but warm hands on her cold cheeks invigorated her. But she put both her hands on his and pulled them away from her face. He knew why she was out here and she didn't like the rhetorical question. She wished that he just understood what she needed to do. She wished he would have just said to her that he was coming with her.

Connie let out a heavy, resolute sigh. She bent over to pick her knife up from the ground. She wiped the blood off the knife and onto one of the walker's pants before returning it to the sheath on her waist. She looked around trying to locate her slingshot next. Daryl searched with her and when she turned around he held the slingshot out to her. She took it from his hand and slid it into the pocket of her jacket.

Connie looked Daryl in the eyes and smiled meagerly. She put her hand to her mouth then moved it downward as she mouthed the words "thank you". She turned around and continued to walk down the road.

Daryl watched Connie as she moved away from him but she didn't get far. Without hesitation, he ran in front of her. "No," he stated adamantly as he put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She tried to move past him but he moved his body in front of hers again. "I won't let you go out there like this. It ain't safe and you're gonna get yourself killed."

Connie shrugged as she shook her head. She tried to move away from him again but Daryl refused to let her pass. Connie pulled her notepad and pen out of her pocket. She wrote a note and held it in front of Daryl:

_kill her  
kill them  
I have to_

"You're crazy!" Daryl practically shouted. He paced back and forth, almost angrily, but didn't turn his face away from hers. "You try and kill her...you storm into their camp and you're just gonna get _yourself_ killed!" Connie wrote another note as tears fell from her eyes. She held it up for him to see.

_Don't care  
she's gone  
I have nothing left_

Daryl stared at the note. His muddled emotions started to confuse him once again. He wanted to tell her that she had _him_, that _he_ was there for her. He wanted to tell her that despite how hard he had tried to keep her at a distance and to close his heart off to her, he just couldn't. He wanted to express to her all these feelings surging through his heart and mind. Feelings he hadn't felt in a very long time – maybe never. But he couldn't say all that to her. He was afraid. On top of that, she was grieving and wasn't in a place to hear it. It was not the right time for either of them for Daryl to let all these feelings spill out.

But Daryl had to tell her something. He couldn't let her feel like she was alone in the world. While he couldn't tell Connie that he was falling fast for her and was confused as hell about it, he could tell her something.

"You have me," Daryl said as he reached out to touch her hand. "And if you gotta go, then I'll go with you."

…..

Daryl and Connie were right back where they were just a few days ago. They watched The Whisperer camp in the distance while they hid behind the lilac bushes.

Connie looked away from the camp and stared at the lilacs. She was spellbound by them. She remembered how just five days earlier she breathed in the sweet scent of the purple flowers. But now, they were beginning to turn brown. The once fragrant blooms now emitted an odor that smelled like perfumy decay.

It didn't take long for things to change, especially in this world. Her little sister was alive less than two days ago. Now she was buried under a few feet of dirt at The Kingdom, dead like the lilac blooms.

A horrific thought suddenly crossed through Connie's mind. Where was Kelly's body? The vile monsters had decapitated the last of her family and had cruelly displayed her head on a pike, but where was the rest of her body? What did they do with it? Had it been left for the dead to consume? Had it just been cast aside to rot in the sun? Why was it that she was just now thinking about this?

Connie leaned against the tree and held her palm to her forehead. As she continued to think about it, she began to hyperventilate. Daryl heard her heavy breathing and quickly turned to look at her. Her face became contorted with a sickening look of shock and anguish as she gasped for air.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong?" Daryl asked her frantically. Connie didn't acknowledge the question as she stared at the ground and heaved breathlessly. Daryl took her face in his hands and lifted it to look at him. "Hey, talk to me...tell me what's wrong."

Connie shook her head as she continued to hyperventilate. Daryl looked at her with frustration. She was fine just a minute ago and now she was a mess. "Connie!" he said as he looked into her eyes again. "Look at me! Listen to me and tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you won't talk to me!"

Connie's eyes went back and forth between Daryl's eyes and his mouth as she tried to calm herself.

"Slow down girl. Take some deep breaths...in through your nose and blow it out through your mouth. Watch me breathe and breathe with me, okay?" Daryl slowed his own breathing down as he tried to sooth her. He reached for her notepad and pen inside her front pocket. He placed them in her hands as he continued to breathe slowly. "Tell me what's wrong. Talk to me, Connie...please."

Connie looked at Daryl and nodded her head. Her hands shook as she began to write. She stopped writing and Daryl took the notepad from her.

_I dont know where  
Kelly's body is  
where did they put it?  
its rotting somewhere  
or walkers got it  
Did you see it anywhere?_

Daryl hung his head after reading the note. He looked back up at her and shook his head. "I never saw it." Connie snatched the notepad back and scribbled frantically.

_They killed her  
they butchered my baby sister  
like an animal  
she never hurt anyone  
she was kind and peaceful  
but they killed her  
and left her to rot_

Connie began breathing rapidly again as Daryl read the note. She sobbed openly as she leaned against the tree in agony.

Daryl tried to steady her once again but it was no use. She couldn't be assuaged. Daryl finally just took her face in his hands and brought her eyes to meet his again.

"They're gonna pay," Daryl stated venomously as he held her focus. "You hear me? They're gonna pay for what they did to Kelly...for what they did to you and the rest of my family. I'll kill every last one of them if it's the last thing I do."

…..

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Just wondering which readers are still here with me and what you think of the story and where it's going. Especially curious what your thoughts are about the last few chapters and the decision to kill Kelly instead of Henry. I really love Kelly's character but I knew her death would propel the Daryl/Connie story much more than Henry's would. I honestly thought Kelly would be one of the Whisperer victims on the show too. Anyhow, I'd really love to know what you think about that and what you're seeing between Daryl and Connie so far, so please drop me a comment! God bless!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Saved**

Dog growled softly but intensely as he stared down the group of Whisperers butchering two deer they had just taken down in a hunt. Four of them methodically cut the two animals up into sections they could carry back to their camp. Two others took the hides to the creek to wash the blood off in the water.

Daryl crouched behind a large boulder as he stared down his prey. He studied them as he formulated a plan of attack. He couldn't determine the sex of a few of the Whisperers. He was pretty sure at least two of them were women but the grotesque masks and baggy clothing made it impossible to tell for sure. But when it came right down to it, it didn't matter if they were women. They were the enemy. They had no regard for gender when they attacked their group. Half the people they decapitated and put on the pikes were women.

Daryl turned his attention from the hunters to Connie. "They're separated right now. We quietly take down the two by the creek. The other four ain't even gonna notice," Daryl said, speaking quickly and concisely but trying his best to make sure she could read his lips. "After that, we attack the other four, the ones cuttin' up them deer. I'll take the bigger two and you take the others. We kill three and leave one alive. We drag the last one back here and get him to tell us what we need to know. You got all that?"

Connie nodded her head. The way Daryl laid everything out overwhelmed her. His instructions were given in such a fluid and casual manner. Connie was barely able to process them before she agreed. It was as if he was explaining the steps they would take to put together a bookshelf or bake a cake as opposed to ending the lives of five people.

Connie began to quiver nervously and Daryl took notice right away. "What's wrong? Why you shakin' like that?"

Connie was having second thoughts but she was hesitant to relay them to Daryl. She shook her head.

"You scared?" Daryl asked. "Cuz if you are, I'll take the five out by myself."

Connie shook her head again.

"Okay, then let's go."

Daryl and Connie crept down the hill with Dog following behind. Once they reached the bottom of the hill, they hid behind a bush and watched as the two Whisperers continued to wash the animal hides. Daryl lifted his crossbow up as Connie readied her slingshot. Daryl looked at Connie, giving her a nod to shoot. They both simultaneously released an arrow and a rock from their weapons. Within a second, the bodies of the two Whisperers fell to the ground by the river bank. They walked quietly to the two they had just killed and Daryl removed the arrow from the Whisperer he had shot.

Daryl reloaded his crossbow then pointed at the other four as he looked over at Connie. Once again Daryl raised his crossbow and Connie held her slingshot in front of her. This time, she nodded towards Daryl before they both fired. Two more Whisperers fell to the ground dead.

As soon as they saw their comrades fall to the ground, the last two Whisperers turned to see where the attack was coming from. They spun around as they pulled out weapons. "Over there! It came from those bushes!" a man called out. The man walked towards the bushes as he raised a machete above his head.

The other Whisperer began to run in the opposite direction. Daryl realized it was a woman when she began to scream. "Help!" she shouted frantically as she ran out of sight. "Help me!"

"Dammit she's getting away!" Daryl fired an arrow at her but missed. Before he could fire again, the man charged him. He swung his machete towards Daryl's head but Daryl dove low to the ground and took the man down with him. The man quickly recovered from the fall and pinned Daryl down as he reached for a knife in his belt. As the man raised his knife, Daryl pulled his own knife from his boot and in one fluid motion, drove it into the man's side. Daryl punched the man in the jaw then threw him off of himself. As soon as Daryl stood up, he kicked the man once in the head, knocking him unconscious.

While Daryl had been wrestling with the male Whisperer, Connie ran after the woman. She followed her into the thick of the woods. As soon as she walked into the cover of the trees, her nostrils filled with the scent of the dead. She looked 20 yards ahead of her and saw a huge mob of walkers. The screaming woman immediately drew the dead upon her. Connie watched as they encircled her, taking her to the ground.

Connie spun around quickly and ran in the opposite direction. But it was too late. The dead spotted her and began to follow. She ran as fast as she could back towards Daryl.

Daryl was restraining the man's arms as he began to regain consciousness. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Connie running back to him. The herd was close behind.

"Shit," Daryl said under his breath. Daryl's full attention moved from the man below him, to Connie being chased by the approaching mob of walkers. Before he could finish restraining the Whisperer, the man pulled Daryl's knife from his belt and stabbed it into his back. Daryl fell backwards onto the ground, slamming his head forcefully on a rock.

The man stood up and stared at Daryl with a wicked grin. He raised the knife again as he started laughing with satisfaction. As he inched closer to Daryl, Dog charged in from the side and attacked. The canine easily took the man to the ground then viciously ripped into his arm. The man swung his knife wildly at Dog, trying to fight him off. He cut into his front paw. Dog released the man's arm from his teeth and yelped loudly in pain. The man managed to get up to his knees and moved again towards Daryl, to finish him off. Before he could even raise his weapon, Connie came up behind him, and slid her blade deeply across his neck.

Connie's eyes widened when she saw Daryl lying on the ground with blood oozing from his back. She quickly pulled her over shirt off and knelt down next to Daryl. She pressed the shirt against his wound. His eyes were closed and he made no movement. Connie slapped her hand against his face trying to revive him but Daryl didn't react. She slapped him again even harder when his eyes finally opened slowly and looked up at her. She immediately pulled on his arm, trying to get him to sit up. Daryl lifted his torso from the ground as he rubbed the back of his head. Connie quickly tied her shirt around his back trying to bind his stab wound. As soon as she did, she tried with all her might to bring him to his feet.

Daryl finally stood up straight. He wobbled over to the last person he shot. Things hadn't gone the way they planned and he had to remove the evidence that he and Connie had been there. He nearly fell back down as he yanked the arrow out of the dead Whisperer's head. He teetered again as he looked at the mass of the dead in front of him. Connie rushed to his side and threw his arm over her shoulder. The two moved away from the scene quickly with Dog limping close behind.

…..

Connie figured they were at least a quarter mile ahead of the herd when she spotted the tiny cabin. They had been running for over an hour and she was relieved to finally find what she hoped would be a safe place for her to tend to Daryl's wounds and where they all could rest.

Connie eased Daryl's arm off her shoulder and helped him sit down on the stoop of the cabin's porch. She pulled her knife from her belt as she peered through the window. There were three walkers inside. She would have to clear the house and get Daryl and Dog inside before the herd arrived. They would have to be completely out of sight and quiet if they wanted the mob of walkers to just walk past the cabin.

Connie helped Daryl to his feet again. She was going to lure the walkers out of the cabin and didn't want them to go after Daryl. She pulled his arm over her shoulder again, walked him across the yard and leaned him against a tree. She ran back to the cabin and quickly swung the door open. She stomped her foot on the porch trying to draw the walkers out. The three dead mindlessly followed the noise and Connie exterminated them one at a time.

She could smell the dead horde approaching and looked to see if she could see them. She barely saw them through the trees moving in closer to them. She ran back to Daryl's side and helped him walk into the cabin. As soon as she moved through the door's threshold, she patted her thigh and Dog followed them inside the house.

Connie held Daryl up as she closed and locked the door as quietly as she could. She slowly helped him to a loveseat. As soon as he sat down, Connie fell into the loveseat too. She panted heavily as she sat down then closed her eyes in exhaustion.

Daryl turned his head towards her. After resting a total of 30 seconds, he watched her get up again. She reached inside her pack and pulled out a bottle of water. She took a large gulp then quickly put it to Daryl's lips. He took a chug before Connie pulled it from his mouth and secured it in his hand.

Connie walked over to the windows at the front of the cabin. She carefully peered out. Hundreds of the dead were filing past them as they hid behind the safety of their new walls.

As quietly as she could, Connie moved through the cabin searching for supplies. When she returned, she set a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a needle, thread, bandages and a bottle of bourbon on the end table. She handed the bottle to Daryl and motioned for him to drink up. Daryl took two large swigs as he watched her pull out her notepad. He took another as she wrote a note.

_Getting dark  
Have to stitch u up  
before I lose the daylight_

Daryl read the note, took another swig and laid on his stomach.

…..

Daryl awoke to Connie patting his face. She was kneeling right in front of him as he laid on the loveseat. She handed him another note and he rolled onto his side to read it. The cabin was pitch black besides one small candle that she held near the note.

_All stitched up but  
you hit your head really  
hard and I think you  
might have a concussion.  
I need to wake you up every hour.  
The herd mostly passed by  
but still a few stragglers outside.  
How do you feel?_

Daryl sat up slowly then moved the candle close to his face so she cold see him speak. "I'm okay, considering I got stabbed in the back today," he replied as he stared down at her. "Thank you," he said as he moved his fingers from his lips downward, signing one of the few words he knew. "Thank you for stitchin' me up. And for gettin' us here safe. I know it wasn't easy."

_You're welcome,_ Connie signed back as she mouthed the words with a smile.

Daryl looked over at Dog and saw his left paw wrapped in a bandage. "You patched Dog up too. I saw him limpin' but I don't even know what happened to him?" Connie jotted a quick note and handed it to him.

_The guy that stabbed you got  
him too. He'll be fine though._

Daryl read her note and nodded. "So much for taken one of the Whisperers as prisoner. At least there'll be six less we'll have to deal with when the time comes." Connie pulled her notepad out of his hand, jotted something quickly, then showed it to him.

_I'm sorry_

Daryl scoffed. "For what? You saved my life. What do you got to be sorry about?" Connie wrote with her head hanging down. She handed Daryl the notepad without looking him the eye.

_I was the one who put you  
in danger in the first place.  
It's my fault you got hurt._

"That's bullshit. You didn't put me in danger. Comin' out here was my choice." Daryl handed her her notepad back almost angry that she was taking the blame for what the Whisperer had done to him. He watched her intently as she wrote again.

_We crossed into their territory and  
they're going to take vengeance out  
on our friends. It was stupid  
and I almost got you killed_

Daryl read the note. "That herd walked by them people we killed. They were fresh kills and them walkers stopped there for dinner...I guarantee it. The Whisperers, they're just gonna think the dead got 'em. Okay? Don't worry 'bout anything."

Connie smiled timidly but then shook her head. She wrote another note and held it in front of him.

_It was stupid of me to go out on my own  
What did I think I was going to do?  
Kill them all?  
You followed me because I was  
doing something stupid._

Daryl read the note then focused his gaze on her. She sat on the floor in front of him with her head hanging low again. It hurt him to know how guilty she felt. In the middle of her grief, she felt guilt too. Daryl knew that awful combination all too well. He reached his hand out and lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. "I didn't follow you because you were doin' something stupid. I followed you because..." He moved his hand from her chin to the side of her face, tenderly cupping her cheek. "I followed you because I care about you."

Connie put her hand up, placing it over his hand as he gently held her face. His gentle touch on her skin felt exhilarating and she didn't want him to pull away yet. She closed her eyes and sighed as she held his hand in place. He said that he cared about her. She believed him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Watching and Waiting**

Daryl kept watch early the next morning. He sat on a chair near the window to the left of the front door, keeping still and staring through the glass. The herd that had almost completely dissipated the previous night, had unfortunately returned.

Daryl was in a considerable amount of pain but he remained vigilant as he stood guard over Connie while she tried to get a few hours of sleep. She had been up most of the night taking care of him and keeping watch. After consuming a generous amount of bourbon the previous night, Daryl slept much longer than his usual three or four hours. He was eager to reciprocate and let Connie get some much-needed rest.

Daryl heard Dog shuffle and turned just in time to see him moving deliberately towards Connie. "Dog, no!" Daryl scolded his pet quietly. "Leave her alone." Dog looked over at Daryl guiltily before deciding to listen to his master. He slid down to the floor disappointed that Connie was still asleep and that he wasn't being allowed to awaken her. He laid sprawled on the floor, staring up at her and waiting for her to wake up and give him attention.

Daryl's full attention moved from the walkers out the window towards Connie as she slept peacefully on the sofa. He carefully fixed his eyes on each of her delicate facial features. Her full lips and soft round eyes set against her creamy skin captivated him. His eyes eagerly traveled down from her face to her petite frame. Daryl studied her alluring shape as she laid there. She slept on her side with her hands tucked under soft, dark ringlets of hair. Her slender legs were comfortably curled up into her torso. The curve of her hip led Daryl's eyes to her supple breasts beneath a thin gray undershirt. As soon as he realized the way he was ogling her as she slept, he shook his head and quickly averted his eyes.

Daryl didn't understand what was happening to him. If it weren't for the herd outside, he would have hit his head against the wall to knock some sense into himself.

He didn't look at women the way he had been looking at Connie. He hadn't looked at a woman that way in years. Life as he knew it, was no place for the complications of love and romance. Or at least that's what he'd been telling himself for the last ten years.

If Daryl was honest with himself, he had never really looked at women. He had been mostly indifferent towards the opposite sex. He'd had his share of flings and one-night-stands but it didn't feel right using women that way. But as wrong as casual sex felt, falling in love with a woman felt even more wrong. It just didn't fit into his wounded and isolated life.

Besides the fact that he was intimidated by the thought of a deep relationship, he really didn't have any example of what that would look like. His parents were the last people he would look to as models of a happy relationship. That left Merle. When Daryl was young and confused about almost everything, it was easy enough to follow his big brother's lead when it came to women.

"Listen up Baby Brother: don't ever let some pair of tits put a leash on you. You do that and you'll be a miserable asshole for the rest of your miserable life," Merle told him. "Look at our old man. The reason he's a piece a shit drunk is cuz Mama made him that way.

"Just look at me," Merle ranted on. "I ain't got no woman tellin' me what to do or where to go or what time to be home. I decide. And I still get plenty of action. But not from just one pretty girl. Nah, I get it from _all _the pretty girls. Love is overrated Baby Brother. Ain't no woman ever gonna give you love anyway. They're a bunch a bitches that want to tell you how to live your life. If you're gonna have a bitch in your life, make sure she's the furry kind that barks and that _she's_ the one on a leash."

Daryl shook his head as he thought back to his brother's twisted logic on women. He couldn't believe that there was a time in his life that he actually followed Merle's philosophies on life. Daryl had lived and fought with Carol, Michonne and Maggie and had quickly learned how the opposite sex operated. He could now easily add Connie to that list of capable, strong and honorable women he knew.

As Daryl thought of Connie, he realized the garbage he'd been believing all these years. He certainly didn't care one iota what Merle would have thought anyway. His brother would have taken one look at the color of her skin and thought her inferior.

Every moment Daryl spent with Connie was leading him further away from his old beliefs and his old ways. Nearly every time he saw her her now familiar face, he was drawn in to the idea of love even more. Each time they touched, whether it was him comforting her or her stitching him up, he didn't want it to end.

Daryl wanted her. He couldn't and wouldn't deny that fact any longer. He wanted to feel the warmth of her skin underneath his. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to press his lips to hers and taste the sweetness of her mouth. If there was something she needed, he wanted to be the one to give it to her. He wanted to give her everything including himself.

Daryl Dixon had never fallen in love before but he was almost certain that's what was happening to him now. The surreal and electric sensation coursed through his veins. But as sure as he was of his feelings, he had no idea what to do with them.

As Daryl watched the dead shuffling around outside, he heard the soft clicking of Dog's paws on the wood floor behind him. He turned his attention from the window to Connie and watched as Dog nudged her hand with his wet nose.

"Dog, no!" Daryl called out quietly again. But it was too late.

Connie opened her eyes and looked down at Dog with a sleepy grin on her face. She yawned and stretched her arms before she rested her hand behind Dog's ear, scratching it gently.

Daryl quickly walked over to her. As he moved quietly towards her, he put his finger to his lips, telling her to stay quiet. She looked up at him as he spoke.

"The herd came back. I'm pretty sure it was a damn squirrel that brought 'em back. Don't take much I guess."

Connie nodded her head. "How'd you sleep?" Daryl asked. She nodded again, smiling this time. "Good," he replied. She finally sat up and stretched again. She looked Daryl in the eyes then pointed to his back.

"It hurts but I think I'm good," he said. Connie pointed to her eyes then pointed to his wound, asking him if she could look at it. Daryl nodded and quickly turned around. He felt Connie's fingertips reach under his shirt and pull it up. She held his shirt up for longer than he expected. When she let it fall down he turned to look at her again. "Does it look okay?" Connie sighed as she begin writing a note. She handed it to him.

_It's a little red and swollen  
Probably at least a slight infection.  
We need to get you back to Hilltop  
and get you started on a round of  
antibiotics ASAP._

"I'll be okay. Been through worse." Connie shook her head. "Well we ain't goin' nowhere with all them walkers out there." Connie wrote another note and placed her notepad in his hand.

_If they don't move on by tomorrow  
We'll have to figure out a way to leave.  
You need antibiotics – trust me.  
Who knows what was on that guy's knife._

"It was my knife, not his. I'll be okay, I promise." She handed him another note.

_Fine. I hope you're right.  
Just one more day though.  
It'll give you a chance to rest and heal._

…..

It was just before dark and the last of sunlight peeked in through the cabin's windows. Connie and Daryl both sat on the sofa and shared a can of green beans and a package of stale crackers that they had found in the cabin. Connie took a bite of the cold vegetables then passed the can to Daryl. She smiled as she watched him inhale his half of the can. Once he was done chewing, he looked over at Connie. He was a little embarrassed by his lack of manners and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

Daryl looked at Connie, wanting to talk to her and soak up the last few moments of daylight. He knew the dark would be an obstacle to their ability to communicate."It'll be dark soon." Connie shook her head and shrugged, not understanding what he meant. "We can't light any candles. It ain't worth the risk of drawing the herd towards the house." Daryl paused, trying to muster up the courage to tell her what his real concern was. He opened his mouth and spoke. "It'll be dark and we won't be able to talk," Daryl finally said with a disheartened tone.

A look of disappointment appeared across Connie's face. She pulled her notepad out and wrote on it quickly. She showed him the notepad.

_It was just a few days ago that  
you told me that I talked too much_

Daryl chuckled before looking over at her. "I did say that didn't I?" Connie nodded with a smile. "Well, I guess that was a pretty stupid thing to say." Connie handed him another note.

_Do you really want to talk  
or are you just saying that?_

Daryl stared into her eyes as the light from outside grew dimmer. He nodded his head. "I do."

_I'll show you how we can talk  
It won't be easy but it'll work_

"Show me," Daryl said in an excited and breathy tone as he sunk further into her intoxicating eyes.

Connie held up her hand. _A, B, C, D, E, F, G,_ she signed as she mouthed the letters. Daryl squinted his eyes trying to make out the letters. _H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P,_ she continued until she reached the end of the alphabet.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't understand. How am I supposed to see you signing if it's dark?" Connie didn't answer his question. They were running out of light and she didn't have time to explain. She quickly mouthed and signed the alphabet to him again. When she finished, she did it once more as the last of the light disappeared.

Daryl was confused. He didn't understand what Connie had been doing. She wasted their last few minutes of light showing him something that wouldn't help them at all. He let out a heavy sigh then sunk into the couch.

Daryl had just leaned his head back and closed his eyes when suddenly he felt Connie's soft hands touching his arm. She lifted his hand and pulled his fingers apart, slipping her hand in his. As he felt her hand in his, an exhilarating shiver ran up his arm, then through his entire body. As soon as her hand was firmly in his, she began to sign the alphabet again. This time as she moved her fingers slowly, Daryl touched them. He felt the nuances of the different shapes her fingers and hands made. He recognized the letters she was making. He was learning her language and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction came over him.

Connie kept her hand in his and repeated the alphabet several more times.

Daryl was starting to pick up on her other cues to. Every time she started the alphabet over again, she would start by tapping the back of his hand.

After working on the alphabet for several minutes, Connie began spelling words. "D-A-R-Y-L," Daryl repeated each letter as she signed it into his hand. "C-O-N-N-I-E," he said next. She continued to spell out words and Daryl picked out each one. "D-O-G, H-O-M-E, D-A-N-G-E-R, S-I-G-N, T-E-A-C-H," he said quietly as they continued slowly and deliberately.

Connie finally pulled her hand out of his but then immediately wrapped it around his. "Dammit," Daryl said, "you want me to try to spell something now, don't you?" Daryl slowly moved his fingers to form the letters as best he remembered. Connie moved her fingers over his to see what he was spelling.

_I U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-M-D _Daryl tried his best to sign. _T-I-S I-S H-O-O-D._

The room was dark but when Daryl looked over to see Connie's reaction to his attempts, he made out a smile on her face. He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong but he was happy that instead of frustrating her, he made her smile. Connie was thrilled and Daryl was fascinated by the way they were able to communicate in the dark and quiet.

When they had finally finished signing to one another, Daryl and Connie didn't pull their hands away. Their hands remained touching as Daryl's heart raced in his chest. At once, he rallied every bit of courage within himself and slid his fingers between her fingers. The feeling overwhelmed Connie as much as it did him. Daryl could hear and feel her breathing increase. Had he done something to make her uncomfortable? Had he gone too far? He slowly began to inch his hand out of hers when all at once, he felt her grip tighten. She didn't want to let go and continued to hold onto his hand. Daryl gave a sigh of relief. Perhaps Connie wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.

After the electrifying moment finally began to subside, their breathing slowed and they both relaxed. Connie leaned her head into Daryl's arm. They both fell asleep while Dog kept watch.

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while but here I am now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I'm so enjoying seeing Daryl and Connie's relationship blossom the way it is. I hope you are enjoying it too. If you have anything to say, please drop a comment. I haven't received too many comments lately and I can't began to tell you just how encouraging they are to me. Words of affirmation are my love language. What's yours? Anyway, God bless!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Catskills**

Connie laid in the wet grass near the large oak tree. She had been there all day and she planned on staying there all night too. It was raining gently and she was cold. But she barely noticed the hard ground or the chilling rain. All she could focus on was her grief.

Earlier that day, she had put her newborn daughter in the ground beneath her. It had been almost seven hours ago that Kelly had helped her bury the baby. It was dangerous laying there, out in the open and vulnerable, but the idea of leaving her baby alone under the cold, dark earth was unthinkable.

Jesse was just six weeks old when she died. Connie named the newborn after her daddy. Connie's fiance, Jesse, died right in the beginning.

Connie and her boyfriend of two years were living in New York City when the world came crashing down. Connie had just received a promotion at work. In a matter of weeks she went from being a struggling freelance news reporter to a full-time news editor for The New York Post. It had been a whirlwind leap brought on by her investigative piece that had single-handedly brought down a congressman and nearly his entire staff.

Jesse Watkins owned and managed a small but popular coffee shop on the south side of Hell's Kitchen. They both lived in an apartment above the coffee shop. Jesse was funny and light-hearted and everyone loved him, most of all Connie. They were planning on getting married the following August when Connie got the news. She was pregnant.

It wasn't something they had planned but they were overjoyed nonetheless. They decided to move up their wedding day to June before the baby's due date in July.

Life was busy and chaotic for the young couple. They were two successful and happy people living in a bustling city with a baby and a marriage on the horizon.

But chaos took on new meaning in the spring of 2010.

Connie was six months pregnant and doing her best to keep up with her job at the Post. It was especially busy there when one report after another kept coming out about outbreaks of a new and deadly flu virus. It was like nothing anyone had seen before.

It first appeared in Tokyo. Then reports of similar cases in Hong Kong, New Delhi and Mumbai were discovered. Not long after that, more occurrences of the virus were found in Paris, Rome and Madrid. It was feeding on big cities like a swarm of locusts.

By the time it reached Los Angeles, it had quickly mutated. It seemed to spread through bites. And people were no longer just sick and dying, they were sick, dying and coming back from the dead. They were coming back as monstrous, murderous cannibals.

It was the kind of thing you only saw in horror movies...something you had nightmares about. But this wasn't a nightmare or a movie. It was a new and horrifying reality.

_We have to get out of the city,_ Jesse signed to Connie before he grabbed their suitcases from under the bed. _My aunt, she has her cabin in the Catskills. If we leave now, we can be there in a couple hours. We can stay there until this blows over._

_ You really think this is going to just blow over? _Connie replied.

Jesse didn't answer. He opened the dresser drawers and pulled out clothes, stuffing them into one of the suitcases.

Connie grabbed his arm to make him face her again. _Too many clothes. We need to pack food, water, batteries._

Jesse nodded in agreement as he turned the suitcase over, dumping out what he had just packed. He repacked, taking just one change of clothes for each of them. He took the suitcases into their tiny kitchen. He started emptying out the cabinets into the suitcase when Connie grabbed his arm again, signing frantically. _We need to get my mom and Kelly too. We can't leave the city without them._

_ Have you been able to get them on the phone?_

Connie shook her head anxiously as she helped him pack their food. _We have to try though._

_ Don't worry. We'll get them before we go. Everything's going to be okay. _Jesse placed his hand on Connie's cheek and smiled._ I love you Connie. You, me and the baby...your mom and Kelly, we're all going to be okay, promise._

But Jesse couldn't keep his promise. They did get to Kelly and Beatrice, Connie and Kelly's mom, but it cost them. It cost Jesse his life.

It was nothing short of a miracle that they made it from Hell's Kitchen, through Manhattan and into Harlem where Kelly and Beatrice lived. But as the four of them went to get back in the car to flee the city, Jesse stopped to help a young boy on the street. It was just the kind of man he was. But the boy wasn't a boy any longer. He was a monster. He sunk his teeth into Jesse's arm as he was trying to help him.

They managed to make it to the cabin in the Catskills, but Jesse died just moments after they arrived. Connie had remembered a news report saying that the only way to put down one of the "walkers" was by a trauma to the brain. Connie and Kelly dragged Jesse's body out of the car and searched for something to inflict enough damage to his head to prevent him from turning. Connie found a large, sharp rock. She raised the rock up and was just about to bring it down on her fiance's head when she looked over at Kelly. She set the rock down and turned to her 14 year old sister.

_Go inside,_ Connie instructed.

_No,_ Kelly argued._ I don't want to leave you out here by yourself._

_Go!_ Connie signed insistently. _I'll be fine._

_No!_ Kelly replied stubbornly._ I might need to know how to do this and I don't want to be scared if I do._ Connie finally nodded before she went back to finish with Jesse. Kelly watched her big sister sob as she violently bashed the rock into Jesse's head. The three women buried him the next morning.

Connie, Kelly and Beatrice remained at the cabin for several weeks before they ran out of food. But Connie was resourceful and figured out how to hunt.

After another few weeks at the cabin, Connie made the decision to see what things looked like back in civilization. The thought of delivering her baby in the middle of the woods with just her mom and sister, terrified her. She attempted to make the 90 minute drive to Albany by herself. She didn't get more than two miles from the cabin before she realized what had happened to the rest of the world.

Cars abandoned on the side of the road with bodies inside. Some were dead and some were monsters. Some roamed the mountain roads aimlessly. She spotted a man that she thought was alive and begin to approach him. As she got nearer, she watched in horror as he ravenously tore into the flesh of a live skunk. The horrific sight and the musky smell of the skunk's spray made her throw up her breakfast. She ran back to her car and returned to her family and that's where they remained.

One morning near the end of May, Connie's contractions started. Her mother and Kelly were frantic. Connie was afraid too but she put on a brave face and managed to calm them down.

_We've been getting ready for this. Everyone knows what they're supposed to do and it's all going to be okay. _Connie signed as she smiled at her mother and sister. After 22 hours of labor, Connie delivered what appeared to be a healthy baby girl. It was a joyful day and the three women basked in the win.

But the joy didn't last long. There were no more wins to be found.

Less than two weeks later, Connie went out with Kelly to teach her how to hunt. They left Beatrice back at the cabin with Jesse. The hunt was successful. Connie was so proud of her sister. She had actually taken the deer down with a spear she had made when she duct taped a pocket knife to the handle of a rake.

The two of them were so happy as they walked home, dragging the fresh kill behind them. But when they made it back to the cabin, they found four of the dead crouched on the ground and feeding. Connie and Kelly easily disposed of the walkers but when they pulled them up, they found their mother underneath, half devoured. While Kelly fell to the ground, weeping over the remains of her mother, Connie ran into the cabin to check on Jesse. Connie saw the baby's mouth wide open in a scream as tears poured from her eyes. Connie pulled Jesse from her makeshift crib and wept herself as she held the crying newborn.

Later that afternoon, after Connie fed the baby and got her down for her afternoon nap, she went outside with Kelly to bury their mother.

They went on as best they could after that. They got by. They spent most days keeping to themselves and going through their routine. Connie and Kelly never slept at the same time. With Connie being completely deaf and Kelly being partially deaf, it was just too risky to not always have someone keeping watch.

Three weeks later, just when they finally felt like they were beginning to move on from their last tragedy, the world came crashing down again.

Jesse was five weeks old and seemed to be thriving. Connie was eating well and Jesse was nursing and gaining weight. Everything seemed to be perfect with Connie's newborn baby. But early one morning, Kelly came into the bedroom. She shook Connie awake.

_Jesse's awake. Her crying sounds funny. She's probably hungry, right? _Kelly asked.

Connie sat up and looked over at Jesse as she laid next to her in the bed. Connie quickly tried to quiet the baby. She started to nurse her but Jesse wouldn't eat. Connie touched her forehead and could easily tell she was running a fever. Her crying and listlessness increased and later that day, her fever worsened.

Jesse refused to nurse and whenever Connie _was_ able to get her to nurse, she would just vomit it back up. Connie's fear and uneasiness grew. She didn't know what was wrong with her daughter and felt like even if she did know, there wasn't anything she could do about it. Day after day, Jesse grew weaker and weaker. Connie stopped sleeping altogether and just held Jesse close, knowing she was slipping away.

One morning, Connie was holding her baby girl in a rocking chair as she tried to nurse. She knew it was no use to keep trying to get her to eat but it was the only thing she could think to do. The baby was quiet and still, too weak to even cry. Connie cradled Jesse in the crook of her left arm while she caressed the soft, wispy hair atop her head. Tears fell freely from Connie's eyes as she smiled down at Jesse.

Connie was born deaf and mute. She had never spoken a word from her mouth and she had never felt like she was less of a person because of it. She never felt like she was at a disadvantage or that she had an actual handicap. It was just how things were for her. It was just how God had made her.

But that afternoon was different. Just this once, she wanted to talk to her little girl. She wanted to sing to her. She wanted Jesse to hear the comfort in her voice as she rocked her to sleep. If she could have spoken, she would have told her how much happiness the little girl had brought her. So much happiness despite the dismal circumstances and the sparse time they had shared. She would have told her what a wonderful, selfless man her Daddy was and how much he would have loved her. She would have said she was sorry that she couldn't do anything to make her well. Then she would have said I love you to her baby girl at least a hundred times, knowing that she would never be able to say it again.

But of course Connie couldn't say any of those things. The silence she was so used to, felt more brutal and stifling than it ever had before.

All at once, Jesse felt heavy in her arms. Connie froze as she looked closely at her daughter. She held her own breath as she checked to see if Jesse was breathing. She wasn't. She was gone – just like that, she was gone. Connie stood up as tears flooded down her face. She walked into the bedroom where Kelly was still sleeping. She carefully laid Jesse's limp body down in the bed next to her sister.

Kelly felt the baby next to her and quickly awoke. She looked up at Connie in confusion.

_She's dead! _Connie signed urgently._ She's dead, Kelly! She's dead! Jesse's dead! My baby is dead! She's dead! She's dead!_

Kelly looked down at her niece in disbelief. She looked asleep. Kelly shook her head as she pulled open Jesse's pajamas. She watched for the rise and fall of her stomach but she didn't see it. She put her face close to the baby's to see if she could feel her breath. She couldn't. Kelly shook her head again as tears fell from her eyes too.

_What do we do Connie?_ Kelly signed to her sister as she wept.

Connie didn't answer. She couldn't answer. She slowly backed up to the wall and slid down to the floor. She buried her face into her hands as she cried in silence.

After Kelly regained her composure, she left the room and went outside to dig a grave.

A few hours later, when Kelly had finished with the grave, she came back into the bedroom to find Connie asleep on the floor. She was just about to wake Connie up so that they could bury Jesse when she saw something from the corner of her eye.

Kelly quickly turned towards the bed. She couldn't believe her eyes. Jesse's tiny arms were waving around. Her little legs bounced on the bed. She was alive. She had just dug a grave for the little girl and now she was alive!

Kelly immediately shook Connie awake. Connie looked up at her sister and was shocked to see a wide smile on her face. _She's alive Connie! Jesse's alive! Come and see!_

Connie was disoriented but she quickly stood from the floor and walked the few steps to the bed. Her eyes widened as she looked down at Jesse flailing her arms and legs about as she laid on the bed. She _was_ alive! Connie's mouth hung open as she stared at her baby. She shook her head in disbelief and amazement. How could she have made such a terrible mistake?

Connie picked Jesse up from the bed and brought her close to her bosom. More tears poured from her eyes as she held her baby closely. She smiled through the tears and thanked God that she had her baby back.

As Connie happily held Jesse in her arms she quickly began to realize that something was very, very wrong. What first appeared to be a miracle, abruptly turned into a nightmare - a sickening and horrifying nightmare.

Connie looked closer at her baby, she saw that her eyes were clouded over. Jesse's lips were as blue as the sky before a heavy rain. It was hot outside but her skin was as cold as ice. Connie laid the baby back down on the bed and examined her carefully. She took off her pajamas and saw that the skin all over her body was gray in color. Although her arms and legs moved, her stomach didn't. Finally, Connie pressed her fingers underneath Jesse's neck to find a pulse. She searched for a long time before she admitted that there wasn't a pulse to find.

Connie quickly moved away from the bed startled and petrified. She stared at the baby for several minutes before she finally turned to Kelly. She raised her hands to sign to Kelly but she didn't know what to say.

Kelly stared back and could read the dumbfounded look on Connie's face. _What's wrong?_ Kelly asked.

_ I...I think...I think that Jesse's dead. _Connie couldn't believe what she was telling her sister but it didn't change what she knew to be true.

_What?_ Connie replied. _What are you talking about? She's not dead. Look at her?_

_ You look at her Kelly! She's not breathing. She doesn't have a pulse. She's cold and gray. She's dead Kelly! She's dead! _Connie began to heave as she was signing to her sister. She ran to the kitchen and threw up into the trashcan. She wiped her mouth as she felt the room began to spin.

_This isn't real, s_he thought to herself._ This isn't real. This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare and you just have to wake up Connie. Wake up! _She said as she slapped her face_. Wake up! Wake up! _she screamed inside her head.

They couldn't put Jesse down that first day. Neither of them could even look at the little girl. Kelly couldn't actually believe that the precious baby girl was actually dead while Connie felt like she was losing her mind.

Connie felt like every motherly instinct she had for her child was gone. She left the baby on the bed and closed the door to the bedroom. Whoever was lying in the bed was not Jesse. She was some kind of creature that was less than human. Connie felt sick. She sat on the sofa and anxiously rocked herself back and forth with her legs pressed against her chest as she cried.

The next day was no different. Connie wouldn't enter the bedroom and forbid Kelly from going in their too. Connie thought that maybe if they never opened that door again, it wouldn't be real. If she never laid eyes on Jesse again, she could just pretend that she never even existed.

Finally on the third day, Connie forced herself to go back into the bedroom. Kelly insisted on going with her. Connie opened the door slowly, afraid of what she knew she would see behind it. The faint smell of rot and decay filled her nostrils. She swallowed once, before she approached the bed. She looked down and could see that what was once her child, was even less so today. Blue veins shown through skin that was even grayer than before. The pupils in her eyes were completely white. Connie slowly reached down to touch her. Her fingers pressed against stiff and cold skin before she quickly drew her hand back. She spun around, fell into Kelly's arms and sobbed.

Kelly made Connie leave the room. She closed and locked the door before approaching the baby on the bed. The news said it had to be the brain. Kelly pulled a knife out of her pocket. She stared down at the baby's white and lifeless eyes.

Tears ran down Kelly's cheeks as she raised her hand and slapped the baby on her leg as hard as she could. She baby didn't cry or flinch. Kelly slapped her leg again but there was still no response. She hadn't heard her cry even once in the last two days...just a high pitched moan. Before she could give it much more thought, Kelly stabbed the blade into the baby's soft head. Jesse's arms and legs went limp and stopped moving. She was really dead this time. She was gone. Kelly cried out loud as she quickly wrapped the blanket underneath around the baby. She lifted her body from the bed, ran out of the room and outside. She laid her niece's body in the grave and quickly started to cover the grave with dirt.

It was above that small grave where Connie laid now. She had been there all day and wanted to stay there the rest of the night. She really just wanted to stay there forever. Her eyes grew heavy as she laid on the hard wet earth. She knew how dangerous it would be to fall asleep outside but at this point, she would have welcomed death.

In the span of four months, she had buried her fiance, her mother and her precious baby, under the oak tree. There was nothing she wanted more than to be buried with them. She finally let her eyes close and succumbed to sleep.

Connie didn't know how long she had been asleep when Kelly came to wake her up. She felt herself being shaken and looked up to see her little sister in front of her.

_Get up right now! _Connie signed angrily._ Get up! I hear the dead out in the woods and you can't be out here! _Connie ignored Kelly and let her head fall to the ground again. Kelly pulled on her arm, trying with all her might to pull her up from the ground. Connie didn't move.

Kelly slapped her in the face_. "_Look at me!" she yelled out loud. "Look at me Connie! I need you!"Kelly pulled Connie's face to look at her. _I need you Connie. I'm 14 years old and I still need you dammit! _she signed.

Connie stared back at her little sister with sad and empty eyes. As much as she wanted to die, she needed to live. Kelly was right. She needed her and Connie wouldn't leave her. She pulled herself from the ground and wrapped her arms around Kelly. She cried as she held onto her sister. How stupid she was to try and give up. How heartless would it be to abandon Kelly. They hurried back inside the house.

**A/N:** I was a little hesitant to craft such a detailed backstory for Connie but I went ahead with it anyway. I'm pretty sure that if we do see Connie's backstory on the show, it won't look anything like what I've written here. That might be a little weird but oh well. I decided at the end of season nine of the show that I was going to leave the cannon and do my own thing in this story. I like where the story's gone so far so I'm just going to keep with it.

I honestly wish they did more flashbacks and backstory on the show. I feel like they hardly ever do them and when they do, it's usually with the villains. Anyhow, I hope you liked Connie's backstory. Drop a comment and let me know what you think. God bless!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Half Empty**

Daryl hadn't slept long – of course he never really did. He woke up just a few hours after he and Connie had both fallen asleep. Connie's head was still resting on his arm. He could hear her breathing softly as she slept and felt the warmth of her face on his arm. As Daryl breathed in, he could even smell her hair. He was surprised that it actually smelled good, like coconut or something else tropical that he couldn't put his finger on.

The weight of Connie's body leaning against his was both comfortable and comforting, like nothing he was accustomed to. Her slight frame nestled closely to his, swallowed up his isolation, almost like it had never been there.

Daryl was completely absorbed in the euphoric and perfect feelings he was experiencing for the first time ever. Her closeness overwhelmed him but he remained still, not wanting to move and chance ending the moment.

Dog suddenly stood on all fours and peered out the window, growling softly. Daryl began to carefully stand up. He slowly moved his body away from Connie's, then eased her head gently down to the sofa. He picked up his crossbow and quietly walked to the other side of the room where Dog was looking out the window. "Good boy," Daryl said as he scratched the back of Dog's head. Daryl peered out the window.

Most of the dead had seemed to have moved on, but one had wandered up onto the porch. It's what had Dog on high alert and growling. Daryl counted eight walkers outside. Even injured he was confident that he and Connie could take them down and get back to the Hilltop. 

But the pessimist in Daryl thought of every way things could play out. If there was anything life had taught him is that it wasn't enough to come up with a good strategy - you had to plan for the worst case scenario too.

It was dark. There could be more walkers that he couldn't see. On top of that, things could change quickly and often did. The herd that wandered off could just as easily wander back and trap them once again. There could be Whisperers out there, stalking them – just waiting for them to come out of the cabin so they could ambush them. Daryl scowled as he thought of all the things that could go wrong. The cup was almost always half empty.

As he continued to stare out the window, his mind raced. He finally looked back over at Connie as she slept. Why would he think that things would be any different with her? If the cup was half empty with everything else he knew, why would it be half full with her? Daryl never considered himself to be the smartest but he sure as hell wasn't gullible.

_ So you think this is gonna work out for you, huh? _Daryl scoffed._ You and her holdin' hands and cuddling on the damn sofa. What the hell am I doin'? This ain't me. This ain't right. You think just because it feels good that means it's right? You think you can just fall in love like everyone else does? You can't. You can't be happy. This ain't no damn fairy tale. You start somethin' with this poor girl, and it'll end bad like everything else does for you. You need to quit actin' like a damn fool and grow the hell up. You gotta end this before it even starts._

…_.._

It was just after dawn when Daryl decided he should wake Connie up. It had stayed relatively clear outside and he wanted to leave before anything changed.

Daryl would wake Connie up and they'd leave. He would take her back to The Hilltop. She would be with Luke, Yumiko and Magna where she belonged. Once Daryl got her safely back with her friends he would just leave. He would take Dog and go back to the shelter of the woods where he could be alone again. Alone was easier. Alone didn't disappoint you and make you think that maybe the cup was half full. Alone didn't make your mind race with questions and fears or make your heart feel like it would explode. Alone didn't fill your mind with fantasies of love and happiness.

He and Connie would go their separate ways. Daryl would just go back to being who he was before all these absurd feelings crept up on him. Feelings couldn't really be trusted anyway.

Yes, ending this before they even started would be better for everyone.

Daryl was starring out the window and just about to wake Connie up when he heard sniffling. He turned around to see her already awake and with tears in her eyes. He walked across the room and looked down at her as she laid on the sofa.

"You okay?" Daryl asked awkwardly. Connie didn't answer as she laid there and stared aimlessly at the faux wood paneling on the wall ahead. Dog walked up to her too and whined as he watched her. He nuzzled his nose up to her neck and licked her face trying to comfort her. Connie rested her hand on Dog's back but didn't move her deadpan stare from the wall ahead of her.

Daryl watched as his dog tried his best to comfort Connie. It was no surprise to him that even an animal had better instincts than him. Dog intuitively knew what to do with the crying woman. It confirmed to Daryl that _he_ would never know how to love and care for another human properly.

"Dog, go," Daryl snorted. Dog walked away as Daryl continued to watch her. He set his crossbow down and crouched on the floor next to the small sofa.

Daryl tapped on Connie's arm to draw her eyes to his face. She finally looked at him. "We gotta go," he said coldly. "It's clear out there right now and we don't got time to waste." Connie stared back at him blankly, barely paying attention to his words.

"What's wrong? Why you cryin'?" Daryl asked in a matter of fact tone, then waited for her to answer. "You thinkin' about your sister?"

Connie didn't react to his question as she gazed back at him. Tears continued to roll slowly down her cheeks. Grief and sadness flooded her face as she bore her eyes into Daryl's.

Daryl tried to look away but he couldn't. As hard as he was trying to ignore her feelings and his own, it was impossible. His resolve was starting to crumble and once again, he was overwhelmed with a desire to comfort her.

All morning he had been convincing himself that the best thing to do when it came to Connie was to run in the other direction and close himself off to her. But as he fixed his eyes compassionately on her tear-stained face, he had almost completely abandoned notions of pulling away. As difficult as it was to let himself love her, he couldn't stop now. His feelings for her were already too intense and he felt powerless against them.

Connie finally sat up. She was in too much pain to talk but wasn't just going to ignore Daryl. She slowly fished her pen and notepad out of her pocket. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand then wrote a note. She could barely see with the tears flooding her eyes. They fell onto her lap and onto the notepad, making the ink run. She finally handed the notepad to Daryl as she continued to cry.

_I had a nightmare  
I dreamed about Kelly  
and my mom  
I dreamed about  
my baby girl too_

Daryl stared at her note. He couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't know that Connie was a mother. How could he? He hadn't known her long and as close as they had become, there was still so much about her that was a mystery to him. He didn't even know how old she was or her last name. All he knew about Connie was that she was strong, kind and that she was making him fall in love with her.

Daryl looked down at the note again to make sure he had read her words correctly. She had a little girl. A baby. He knew the depth of what that meant but for the life of him, he didn't know what to say. He finally looked back up at her. "What was her name?" Daryl finally asked. He thought that was a safe question.

_Jesse  
I named her after her daddy_

_J-E-S-S-E_ Daryl signed slowly with a gentle and compassionate look on his face. Connie nodded. She picked up the notepad again and wrote.

_I was so preoccupied with taking care of you  
I think I forgot about Kelly for a little bit.  
I was trying not to think of her and  
it felt like maybe when we left here,  
she'd be waiting back at home for me._

Daryl read the note and nodded. Connie took the notepad out of his hands and wrote something else. She finished writing but didn't hand the notepad back to Daryl. Instead she dropped it on the floor and began to weep again. Daryl picked up the notepad.

_I try to never think of Jesse  
It hurts too much_

Connie lied back down on the sofa as she wept silently. Daryl could feel the agony radiate off her as he watched her cry. His hand moved slowly up to her. He wanted to touch her in an attempt to bring comfort. He raised his hand slowly, almost as if he was reaching towards a hot stove or a wild animal he was afraid of. Without even knowing it, he held his breath as his hand inched closer towards her neck. When his fingers finally touched her, he let out the breath he'd been holding in. He closed his eyes as he took in how good it felt to move his fingers gently across her skin...how good it felt to comfort her.

Daryl felt Connie stir. He quickly opened his eyes to see her turned slightly towards him with her focus fixed on him. Daryl felt suddenly self-conscious as he pulled his hand away from her and apologized with his eyes. He had crossed a line. He shouldn't have come into her space the way he did, not when she was weeping over her losses. She probably just wanted to be left alone and not bothered. She probably thought he was coming on to her and at the worst time possible. Connie began to sit up from the sofa and Daryl inched away from her.

"I...I'm sorry," Daryl stammered as Connie sat up further. "I shouldn't have..." Daryl froze. He didn't even know what to say.

Connie shook her head as Daryl looked back at her in confusion. She extended her hand out to him but Daryl made no attempt at a response. She finally wrapped her fingers around his wrist, trying to pull him up from the floor. Daryl complied, still unsure of what she was doing. Once he was standing, she pulled him towards the sofa then pushed him down onto it. Daryl sat in the corner, bewildered as he awaited her next move.

Connie laid herself back on the sofa. She moved her body as close to his as she could. She pulled his arm around her, adjusting his body to hers as if it was her favorite blanket.

Daryl's heart raced in his chest. It's what happened every time he was close to her. He was feeling a hundred different things, each of which made him feel just as anxious as it did intoxicated. He tried to calm his nerves but it was almost impossible.

After trying so hard to push his feelings for her away, he couldn't do it anymore. The old ways of doing things were quickly disappearing and brand new feelings flooded through his body, mind and heart. They were staggering and Daryl could barely handle them.

Daryl held her body close to his, wrapping his arms around her tightly and locking his fingers together under her chest. All he wanted to do was hold her for as long as he could. He wanted to stay and comfort her as long as she needed him to. Daryl wanted to love her but asked himself if that was really even possible. How was it possible if the cup was always half empty? He wasn't convinced that he was able to love her but he did know one thing for sure - he was going to try.

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the comments lately! It's truly music to my ears and such an encouragement to me. I definitely feel the love from you and love you all back so keep the comments coming! On a side note, I think season 10 of TWD has been fantastic so far. Anyhow, God bless!


	13. Chapter 13

**TRIGGER WARNING:  
**This chapter and the A/N refers to abuse and sexual abuse

**Chapter 13: Hurt**

Daryl, Connie and Dog finally left the shelter of the small cabin and begin the trek towards the Hilltop. Connie guessed it was just a few miles away but wasn't sure. They continued to move carefully through the brightly lit woods feeling the dead leaves crunching beneath their feet.

Connie carefully studied Daryl as he walked in front of her. No one would ever have known that he'd just been stabbed in the back less than two days ago. He looked strong. His footsteps were hefty but still precise and careful. She watched the way his eyes continually traveled from side to side as he took in his surroundings and missed nothing. She could tell how carefully he listened when she would see him turn in a split second at what must be something he was hearing.

Daryl was like no one she'd ever seen before. An able-bodied creature that seemed more animal than human, especially when he was outdoors. Every move he made was stealthy and deliberate as he commanded the entire space around him.

But it wasn't just the way Daryl moved that Connie was taking in. As she watched him, she couldn't help but see how attractive he was. Of course she had noticed from the beginning but didn't think twice about it. But now, since being with him constantly, his allure was almost all she could think about. After seeing what was beneath his calloused exterior, she had become so drawn into him that it would be impossible to turn back now.

Being near Daryl over the last few days was intoxicating and she felt helpless to resist her growing feelings for him. She felt heavy pangs of guilt at the fact that that while she was mourning the loss of her sister, she was falling fast for a man. But the human heart is complicated, having the ability of feeling many deep emotions all at once.

Connie fixed her stare on his bulky chest as it pushed the buttons of his shirt apart. His chest was framed by broad shoulders and tan, muscular arms. Her eyes traveled up his sweaty neck to his ruggedly handsome face.

Daryl's face was almost hypnotic, boasting a strong and chiseled profile. It was covered with a dark beard speckled with gray hair, revealing his age. Connie stared at his lips, fixed in a straight line. She'd watched his lips many times as he spoke to her, always with seriousness and intent. She tried to recall what his smile looked like but couldn't. Smiling was an anomaly for Daryl, and she wasn't positive she'd even ever witnessed it happen. Of course she couldn't really blame him for that, seeing that there wasn't much for anyone to smile about lately.

Connie's eyes finally rested on Daryl's eyes. His thin blue-gray eyes peaked through greasy hair that was desperately asking to be washed and trimmed. She wanted to know what was behind those eyes. She wanted to know everything about him. And although they had become close, it was obvious how guarded he still was with her. She wondered why.

She knew there was pain. Of course no one alive was without heartache and loss, but this was different. There was more. His pain was something he'd been carrying for a long time. What could it have been? Connie studied him as he walked in front of her, imagining what had happened to him and who had hurt him. Did he love someone and lose her? Was he a father that had buried a child the way she had? Was the pain caused when he was a child himself?

Daryl had brought a great deal of comfort to her over the last few days and she couldn't help but want to be there for him too. She wasn't sure if he would let her. Not everyone wore their heart on their sleeve the way she did and she would wait patiently for him. Something told her that it would be worth it.

Connie's increased her pace so that she was at Daryl's side. He carried his crossbow in his right arm but his left arm swung at his side. She stared at his calloused hand, longing to slip her hand into it. They held hands last night on the sofa after she taught him the alphabet. He had even tried to pull his hand away but she wouldn't let him.

Then this morning when she was weeping, she reached out to him again. She pulled his arms around her and made him hold her. It's what she needed and she was bold enough to ask for it.

But so far, all the moves were made by her. Every touch was initiated by her hand. As sure as Connie was of her own feelings, she wasn't sure of Daryl's. And no matter how good she was at reading people, she still didn't know where his heart was when it came to her.

She wrote in her notepad as she walked then showed it to him.

_How far til Hilltop?_

Daryl looked over at Connie, "Probably about two miles or so. We should get there soon."

_How are you holding up?  
Your back feeling okay?_

"Pretty good actually." Daryl gave Connie a crooked smile as he spoke. "I had a good nurse takin' care of me."

Connie blushed with a tentative smile before handing Daryl another note.

_You took good care of me too_

Daryl looked intently at her and nodded.

Connie watched Dog as he moved just as deliberately as his master. He walked at Daryl's side, not running ahead and watching his surroundings just as carefully as Daryl did. He had been trained well and it showed. Connie showed Daryl her notepad again.

_Where did you get Dog?_

"I found him. About four years ago, I was huntin' and I found a litter of puppies. They were all dead except Dog. I thought he was dead too but then he moved...couldn't believe it. I took him to the Kingdom cause they had goats there that could feed him. Nursed him back to health and he ain't never left my side since." Daryl reached over to his faithful companion and scruffled the fur on his neck.

They continued to walk in silence when Daryl looked over at Connie again and spoke unprompted. "When I was a kid, we were poor as hell. Didn't have shit. It never really bothered me because everyone around me was poor too and I didn't know nothing different. I was used to not having things, not going anywhere, bein' hungry...it didn't bother me. But there was one thing I always wanted when I was a kid: a dog. Everyone had a dog. Didn't matter how poor my friends were, almost all of 'em had some scroungy mutt taggin' along with 'em everywhere they went.

"When I was eleven years old, the neighbor down the street, her dog had puppies. I asked my Pa if I could have one. Don't know why I asked him 'cause I knew he'd say no. He was a vicious, no-good drunk, my Pa. Even if we could've afforded to get a dog, he wouldn't have let me. He hated me to be happy so of course he said no.

"But I was a bad kid," Daryl said with a twinkle in his eye and the slightest grin. "I didn't listen to half the shit he said to me even though I'd pay for it every time. I got a beatin' from my old man at least once or twice a week whether I did somethin' bad or not. So I figured if I was gonna get a beatin' anyway, I may as well have a dog too. The neighbor lady said I could have one of the puppies after it left its mama. All I had to do was mow her lawn once a week for the summer. I was so happy!" Daryl scoffed. "I was never happy as a kid but when I got that puppy...damn, it was the happiest I think I'd ever been. I named her Daisy...real original name, right? But I didn't let my pa know about her. I couldn't. If he found that dog, I was sure he'd make me get rid of it. So I hid her...hid her in my friend's shed for nearly two months.

"One night though, I couldn't stand the thought of leavin' Daisy in the shed. It was cold and rainy so I thought I'd bring her home and let her sleep with me. I snuck her into the house after my old man was already passed out. I figured I'd wake up and take her back to the shed before he got up. Next morning, Daisy was gone. I got up and was lookin' for her everywhere. My pa was tryin' to be all calm and sly, sayin' to me, 'What are you lookin' for?' like he didn't know. I lied, told him I was lookin' for my shoes but he knew. I spent all morning in a panic tryin' to find my dog. Then a couple hours later, my pa told me to go outside to the cooler and get him a beer. I went out there and opened up the cooler and found Daisy in there. He drowned her in the melted ice and left her in the cooler with his beer.

"My pa was a sick bastard," Daryl said in a matter of fact tone. He walked ahead, continuing to look in every direction when all the sudden he stopped in his tracks and looked over at Connie. She looked back at him, confused by his actions. "Hey, I'm sorry," Daryl said with sincerity.

_For what?_ Connie mouthed as she signed the words.

"You told me about your little girl this morning...you just lost your sister..." Daryl stammered, "...and here I am talkin' about my stupid dog when I was eleven years old." Daryl resumed walking as he looked down at the ground in embarrassment. Connie still made out what he was saying even though his head hung low. "I'm such an asshole. I'm sorry."

Connie immediately stopped walking and grabbed Daryl's arm, abruptly pulling him to face her. Daryl turned to look at her, expecting her to confirm just how thoughtless he had just been. Instead she slowly reached up and placed the palm of her hand gently on his cheek. Her tender eyes looked into his hardened eyes as she shook her head. The compassion in her gaze was undeniable and Daryl let out a sigh, relieved that she wasn't upset with him. Her hand didn't move away and Daryl closed his eyes, as a feeling of peace washed over him. Her simple touch did so much for him. He felt connected by it. He felt comforted. He felt loved. Daryl had worked so painstakingly hard to keep people, even people he'd learned to love, at arm's length. But he couldn't with her, and even if he could, she wouldn't let him.

Daryl finally opened his eyes when he felt her hand pull away. She began writing a note then handed it to him.

_Your dad hurt you a lot didn't he?_

Daryl stared at the note for a long time before he looked back at Connie. He didn't answer. Connie pulled the notepad out of his hand and wrote again. She finished writing but didn't show it to him. After her initial hesitation, she placed the notepad in his hand.

_I saw the scars on your back.  
They're old scars. He beat you._

Daryl looked back at her, frozen. He'd never told anyone about what his father had done. He'd never spoken about the severe beatings he would receive at least once a week. He didn't tell people that his father would put his cigarette butts out on his small arms. He never wanted anyone to know that his father would lock him out of the house whenever he found some bar fly to bring home. Daryl never told anyone that after his mother died he never saw clean bed sheets or vegetables until he was an adult. He hadn't ever repeated the words his father had spoken to him. "You're a piece of garbage, boy...the biggest mistake I ever made was havin' you and your brother...I hate lookin' at your ugly fuckin' face...I wish you had burned up and died with your mama!" For years those words bounced around in Daryl's head but were never repeated.

Daryl had never said the words out loud and no one had ever asked him. His mama pretended it wasn't happening. She lived in fear of Wade Dixon the same way Daryl had. Merle knew too but was just relieved to not be the target anymore when he moved on.

Even Carol knew that her best friend had suffered at the hands of a cruel abuser, just like she had. But it would be nearly as painful to talk about his abuse as it would be to talk about hers.

The abuse was a secret - a dirty, shameful secret that Daryl would have been happy to keep buried in his soul and never speak of. He'd gone his entire life without speaking of it.

But today Connie said it. He looked at the words on the note again. They stared back at him, cutting him like a knife.

_I saw the scars on your back.  
They're old scars. He beat you._

Why would she speak of it? Why would she bring it up? Didn't she know how painful it would be? It felt like a betrayal to Daryl.

He stood there, still frozen and still looking at the notepad in his hand. _He beat you._ _He beat you. He beat you. He beat you. He beat you. He beat you. He beat you. He beat you. _The words repeated over and over again, echoing through his mind and filling the space in his head. But as he read them over and over again, something began to happen. As Daryl read and reread the words, the tension in his shoulders began to fall away. His breath steadied and he finally stopped staring at the note.

Connie's words quickly went from painful to comforting. She said it. She wrote the words down for both of them to see. They were real words finally brought into the light and not just something trapped inside his broken soul. She acknowledged what had happened to Daryl – what had happened to that little boy.

Daryl looked back at Connie, tears stinging inside his eyes and fighting for release. As hard as he tried to hold them back, some broke free and ran down his face.

Connie placed her hand back onto his face, catching his tears with her fingers. She held onto his face as he gazed back at her. She pulled her hand away and reached into his hand. She pulled the notepad out of his grasp and wrote something down. She wiped her own tears away before holding the notepad in front of him to see.

_I won't hurt you._

Now those words stared back at Daryl, penetrating through his hardened heart and repeating inside his head. He read them again and again, each time believing them more. _I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you. _

Daryl trembled as he stared longingly into Connie's eyes. The last bits of stone around his heart had finally been chipped away and he could feel it pounding in his chest like never before. His breathing sped up as he realized what he was about to do.

Everything moved slower. Daryl lowered his hand and let his crossbow slide down his arm and to the ground. He felt the sweat gathering on the back of his neck, then a gust of wind cooling it off. He heard the leaves crunching underneath his boots as he shifted his weight and leaned forward. He saw Connie standing in front of him, still and serene, with her hands at her sides and her eyes gazing back at him knowingly.

Daryl blinked once then immediately took her face in his hands. He exhaled as his lips crashed into hers. His heart continued to race with exhilaration as he held onto her face and kissed her with an intense desire he'd never once felt before.

Connie was completely stunned. Her head spun as Daryl's mouth pressed onto hers. She stumbled backwards, not even realizing what was happening. Without breaking the kiss, Daryl's muscular arm moved down from her face and around her waist, steadying her gently. When Connie's brain finally caught up with her body, she relaxed with elation. She sank into his powerful arms, feeling completely enveloped by him.

The way Daryl kissed her was both passionate and tender like his lust for Connie, was only surpassed by his reverence for her. Their lips melted together in ecstasy before Daryl opened his mouth slightly. The tip of her tongue slowly eased itself into his mouth tasting the saltiness of his tongue. Connie's hands moved in sync with her mouth as she moved her fingers up the back of his neck and through his messy curls. Her other hand reached up and pressed itself into his muscles in his chest. Daryl's hand moved around her slight frame, eagerly traveling from her neck, to her back then to her hip.

The exchange lasted several minutes before Connie finally pulled her mouth away from his. She dried her lips with her fingertips while she exhaled. Their eyes fixed onto each other as they took in what had just happened and more importantly, what it meant.

Daryl placed his hand back onto the side of her face, cupping it gently and focusing all of his attention on her. "I love you," he stated simply and without hesitation. He continued to focus his eyes onto her as he spoke again. "I ain't never said that to anyone before. I ain't never felt it before." Daryl nodded his head confidently. "But I ain't afraid to say I feel it now. And I don't know how you feel about me. Maybe you think I'm not..." Connie put her hand over his mouth, stopping him from speaking any more. Daryl stopped, awaiting her response.

_I love you,_ she signed as she mouthed the words clearly. _I love you too Daryl._

Daryl's shoulders eased down and he let out his breath. He stared into her dark eyes as he thought a dozen different things._ She loves me. I can love her and she can love me back. This is real and it's the best feeling I've ever had. _He slid his fingers through her fingers and held tightly to her hand. He picked up his crossbow with his other hand then looked back over at her.

"Let's go home," Daryl said with a calm excitement. Connie smiled at him and nodded her head. She held onto his hand as peaceful feelings of elation fell over her. They walked hand in hand, making their way towards The Hilltop.

They walked another fifty yards or so when Daryl saw Dog freeze in his tracks. Dog stared off behind them and began to growl softly. Daryl let go of Connie's hand and turned around.

"What d'you see?" Daryl asked as he raised his crossbow in the direction of Dogs stare. As soon as he saw the walkers, he felt the arrow pierce through his stomach. He looked down at the blood pouring from his body. He couldn't believe what was happening. He placed his hand on his wound as he fell to his knees.

Daryl looked up at Connie still shocked by the surrealness of what was happening. She pulled her sling shot from her belt and a rock from her pocket. She shot a rock through the air then another and another. She finally fell to her own knees, trying her best to look at Daryl's wound. Without hesitation, she snapped the arrow in half and pulled it out. Before she could look at the wound in his stomach, she felt the wind of another arrow as it whizzed by her face, landing in Daryl's shoulder. Daryl fell back onto the ground. Connie leaned over him, now trying her best to attend to two wounds.

Daryl laid on the ground staring up at Connie. He shook his head in disbelief as his eyes grew heavy. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Connie shook her head frantically as she pulled a bandana out of her pocket trying to bind his wound. Daryl opened his eyes to see three men, wearing dead skin. They pulled Connie up from the ground. She threw her arms around landing a blow into one man's head. She kicked wildly as she tried to break free from her captors,but she couldn't.

"What about him? He's still alive. Should I finish him off?" Daryl heard one Whisperer ask.

"No," another answered. "Let the guardians feed on him so we can get her back to Alpha."

Daryl laid helpless on the ground until Connie and the three Whisperers disappeared from his sight. He put his hand to the wound on his stomach and closed his eyes again. He began to lose consciousness as he heard walkers approaching.

**A/N:** Well I hope this chapter was a good way to start your Tuesday. I think it's been one of my favorite chapters to write. I really love these characters so much, it's ridiculous. Anyhow, I wanted to address a few things so here goes. First off, thank you for all the generous comments. They mean the world to me. I want to address DaphneDixon's question about how the latest developments on the show will play into my fic. They will play into it, and I'm very excited about how. Of course while some elements will be similar other elements will be completely different.

Now to address something more serious. I didn't know, until I started writing this chapter, that I would talk so heavily about abuse. When I write, I go into each chapter with a very broad idea. But there's a lot of details that I don't plan out and the story just kind of unfolds before my eyes as my fingers touch the keys on my keyboard. It makes writing very exciting for me and I hope that comes through in what you're reading.

Anyway...I talked a lot about abuse in this chapter. Daryl was severely abused by his father. He kept it as a secret for years and years. I was sexually abused for several years and by several people. It was my secret for way too long.

I've just recently started talking about the abuse I lived with and it's helped me a great deal. I can say without shame, things like, "I was abused...it wasn't my fault...the abuse did damage to me...I'm not alone...it wasn't right what happened to me...it was unfair that my parents didn't protect me better." It feels really good and very healing to speak those things and know that others are hearing me.

My faith in Jesus is the most important thing in my life. Because of that, I can also say, "My abuse does not define me...I can have a life of joy, peace and purpose...the Lord Jesus loves and redeems me...He comforts me and gives me an abundant life...He saves me and has become everything I need." Those are powerful words too and I'll never stop telling people about what Jesus has done, and keeps doing for me!

The enemy wants us to stay in shame, darkness and isolation. Things like abuse often feed that. I'll talk about it because Satan wants to keep us in bondage and shame and I refuse to let that happen to me.

Anyhow, I hope this doesn't trigger anything with anyone here but if it does, talk about it. If you don't have someone you can talk to, feel free to talk to me. I've been a youth pastor for six years and nursing home chaplain for 17 years. I'll listen without judgment and try to be there in any way I can so feel free to message me if you need a loving heart and a listening ear.

Writing for all of you and having you listen to _my_ stories (my fics and my own personal story) has been incredible therapy for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening to _me_.

Well that's probably enough talking on my part so I'll say bye for now. Until next time, dear readers, love and blessings to you all!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Silence the Whisperers**

Snarling. Snarling and groaning all around him. Daryl opened his eyes to see a walker inches from him with its gruesome mouth opened and nearing his face. He raised his hand and pushed on its shoulder. The walker fell back but only long enough for Daryl to reach for the knife in his belt. In one fluid motion, he pulled it out of its sheath and slid it into the dead man's head. The body collapsed onto Daryl as three more of the dead approached. A very large walker, weighing at least 300 pounds, neared Daryl, moaning and reaching for him. It fell onto Daryl and the weight knocked the wind out of him as it landed. Daryl quickly switched his knife to his left hand and awkwardly stabbed it into the walker's head.

The other two walkers moved in towards Daryl. His eyes grew heavy as they got closer and closer._ God no! Please help me, _he thought frantically to himself._ Don't let me die like this. I need to get Connie. Please, just let me live long enough to get her back safe...please just let me get back to her._

Daryl was weak. The pain from the two arrow wounds was excruciating and he could tell that he'd already lost a lot of blood. The weight of the two dead bodies pinned him to the ground so that he could barely breathe or move. It was difficult to keep his eyes open as he watched the dead coming towards him.

His eyes closed then opened. They were closed again when he heard the leaves rustling behind him. He opened his eyes, looked backwards and to his right, expecting to see more of the dead. Instead, he watched as Dog leaped through the air, tackling both the walkers to the ground. He sunk his teeth into the neck of one the corpses and pulled back viciously. The rotting flesh fell apart easily and the walker's head dangled from the rest of his body. Another walker lunged at Dog. Dog spun around and ripped into that walker, taking it to the ground.

At least twenty more of the dead began to approach Daryl and Dog. Dog ran to Daryl's side and sunk his teeth into one of the corpses, trying with all his strength to pull the heavy body off of his master. Daryl pushed as Dog pulled but the large corpse wouldn't budge. The walkers were too close for Daryl to escape. He pulled the arm of one of the dead bodies up and covered his face and neck with the rotting limb. "Dog run!" Daryl ordered his pet quietly. "Go!"

Dog left Daryl's side but ignored his command to go. He walked up to the herd and stood in front of them. He growled and barked at the zombies, drawing their attention onto him. The walkers came near to Dog, reaching for him hungrily. _No Dog...just run! _Daryl thought to himself as he peeked through the dead men on top of him.

Just before the dead could grab Dog, he ran a few feet away. They followed him mindlessly. Dog jumped into the air back and forth, almost playfully as he barked loudly, drawing the herd's attention away from his master. The walkers continued to follow him as he moved farther from Daryl. After another few minutes, Dog and the entire herd were completely out of sight.

Daryl managed to push the smaller corpse off of himself but he still couldn't push the large corpse off. Pain shot through his bleeding body as he squirmed out from underneath the giant walker. When he was finally free, he pulled his over shirt off and wrapped it around his stomach, binding his wound.

Daryl began to walk slowly in the direction that the Whisperers took Connie. He had to get to her. His eyes grew heavy again as he trekked through the woods. He felt like he was going to pass out. "No, no, no," Daryl said as he slapped his face hard. "Stay awake dammit! You gotta stay awake so you can get to her!"

Daryl stumbled as he walked farther. He stopped and leaned up against a tree, resting his tired and injured body against the trunk. He hung his head dejectedly. There was no way he would be able to make it to the Whisperer camp. It was three times the distance as the Hilltop was. Even if he could make it to their camp, there was no way he could fight anyone.

Daryl pounded his fist into the rough bark of the tree, tearing the skin off of his knuckles. He turned around and walked towards the Hilltop.

…..

Daryl held his hand on his stomach as he walked towards the gates of The Hilltop. He let go of his abdomen to wave his hand. "Open the gate!" he shouted breathlessly.

"Open!" Cal yelled down from the watchtower to someone below. "It's Daryl. Hurry up, he's hurt!"

The gates parted and Daryl stumbled in. As soon as he walked in and the gates closed behind him, he fell to the ground and blacked out.

…..

Alpha walked towards the campfire with Beta close behind her. She sat down on a log and Beta stood behind her protectively. As Alpha sat completely still, she stared across the flames at her latest acquisition. She finally smiled insidiously at Connie then picked a piece of meat up from a dish on the ground. She tilted her head and rolled her neck in a snake like manner then offered the morsel to Connie.

Connie looked at the meat. She was hungry. All she'd eaten in the last three days was a half a can of green beans, a few stale crackers and some granola she found stashed in her bag. She didn't want to take anything from these monsters but if she was going to be able to fight them, she would have to keep up her strength. She took the meat from Alpha's hand and wasted no time devouring it.

"Do you like boar?" Alpha asked quietly.

Connie nodded. She sat there placid and thoughtful as she examined Alpha, Beta and the rest of her surroundings. She was restraining herself from doing what she really wanted to do...what she'd been waiting to do. Days ago she was planning a way to penetrate the Whisperer camp and kill Alpha. And now she was there, facing her enemy.

All Connie wanted to do was jump from her seat and pull the murderous and malevolent woman into the fire in front of her. She could do it. No doubt Alpha was strong but so was she. Much stronger than she let on or they would think. Connie pictured it in her mind, grabbing the woman by her neck and throwing her down into the flames. There was a stack of logs next to the fire ring. Once she pulled her into the fire she was pretty sure she could pick up one of the logs and bash it into her head before Beta could stop her.

But as effective as that plan was, it was too risky. Beta or the others would kill her if she harmed their omnipotent leader and Connie didn't want to risk dying. Maybe three days ago she would have but a lot can change within a few short days. Three days ago Connie had nothing to live for. Kelly was dead and she would have been happy to join her. But now, now things were different. Connie wanted to live. She had someone and something else to live for. And although she didn't know if Daryl was even alive, she wasn't going to cast aside all that had happened with him over the last few days for an artless act of revenge.

Connie would play this out carefully and calculate every decision. Then, when the time was right, she would make her move. The Whisperers obviously wanted her for some reason. They brought her back to their camp. They left Daryl for dead but kept her alive. Why?

Alpha and Beta sat and stood across from her. They were both striking figures that commanded complete attention. But Connie had no regard for them at the moment. Her mind shifted from the monsters across from her to Daryl Dixon.

When she was dragged away by the three Whisperers, Daryl had just been shot twice. A herd was approaching him and he was laying on the ground helpless. He was strong but she had her doubts about his ability to fight off a small herd after being shot twice. A panic came over her the longer she thought about Daryl and how they had left him.

Connie had fallen in love. It was that simple. The man she loved was left for dead and her heart was in anguish at just the thought of losing him. She wouldn't just be losing him though. She was devastated at the thought of losing a future with him. The kiss was just the beginning of what she knew was going to be a new chapter in her life..maybe a new life itself.

To Alpha and Beta, Connie was calm and collected but inside she was being torn apart._ God please let him be okay. It's my fault he was out here in the first place. Please, please just let him still be here...let him be alive! _Connie prayed to herself. _Please God...I love him._

Alpha stared at Connie menacingly. She grinned again then spoke. "You're new to the group at the Hilltop, aren't you?" she asked in her eerie Southern drawl. Of course Connie couldn't hear it but the way her lips moved was different from almost everyone else.

Connie nodded.

"Now I'm not sure how anxious everyone back in those lovely little towns will be to come and get you back from me. If you've only been there a few weeks I don't think anyone is going to stick their neck out for one newcomer."

Connie shrugged. She honestly didn't know if Alpha was right or wrong about that. Other than Daryl, Magna, Luke and Yumiko, she really wasn't sure if anyone else _would_ stick their neck out for her. After all, Michonne didn't even want them stay in Alexandria.

Alpha smiled again. "Maybe they think having someone like you gone will make things simpler for them. Do you think perhaps they look at you like you're a liability?"

Anyone who really knew Connie, knew that she was an asset, not a liability. But not wanting the Whisperer leader to know how strong she was, Connie shrugged again.

"There now, you don't have to be coy with me. I know what you are," she said in a gooey tone. "You're deaf and dumb, aren't you?"

Connie nodded.

"That's right," Alpha replied. "You can't hear a word I'm speaking, now can you? But you're reading my lips. You know everything that I'm saying."

Alpha stood from the log and sidled slowly over to her captive. She looked down at her as she spoke clearly. "Nature has broken you and made you less of a person in everyone else's eyes. But to me," Alpha said as she moved her face inches from Connie's, "to me I think you are as nature intended. Not better or worse, but different." She handed Connie another piece of meat. Connie took it from her hands and began to eat it. "Your people think _we_ are the barbarians but they must have barely been feeding you over there. Well don't worry, I will take care of you now. I will feed you and protect you and make sure you are shown respect among my people. Would you like that?"

Connie stopped eating and stared back at Alpha. She nodded her head again.

"That's good. Very good," Alpha replied in a saccharin voice. "But if I keep you safe and under my wing, you must do something for me." Connie looked back expectantly. What did she want? Information about the communities? Something that would give them an advantage for their next attack? They were sadistic people and Connie imagined the worst when it came to what the vile woman wanted.

Connie watched as Alpha moved her head and neck again, in that awful snake-like manner while she spoke. "Since my people and your people crossed paths, I have, on several occasions, taken notice of you. And what I want from you is very simple," Alpha finally said as she touched Connie's soft hair, running her dirty fingers through it. Connie cringed inside but didn't let on. Alpha continued. "I want to be like you.

"_We_, are the Whisperers but you, you do not even whisper. We speak softly but you speak _nothing_. We speak few words but you speak _no_ words. We are quiet but you are _silent_. You have survived without words completely and I want you to show me how you have done that. The Alpha is not so imperious that she can not learn from others. And once the Alpha learns, she can pass on her knowledge to her pack."

Connie studied Alpha carefully. This is what she wanted? Since arriving at their camp, her mind imagined dozens of scenarios but never imagined this one. She wanted Connie to teach her. Connie was both baffled and slightly disturbed by the situation she found herself in.

Alpha slowly reached down from Connie's hair down to her cheek. She caressed the side of Connie's face and looked into her eyes. "I will take care of you and you will serve me. I will lead you, and you will teach me...you will be my muse. I have chosen my Beta but you, I have chosen you too. You will be my Gamma. Your people took my daughter and I will have you to take her place at my side. They took my daughter to protect her because she is indeed weak. And I will protect you - not because _you_ are weak but because you are extraordinary."

Connie felt sick to her stomach as Alpha's hand remained on her face. Was it the same hand that had murdered Kelly and the others? Connie swallowed back her anger and disgust then lowered her head, feigning submission and respect. She looked at the knife in Alpha's belt. She had to keep her hand from pulling it out of the sheath and sliding it into Alpha's flesh.

But Connie again thought of Daryl and restrained herself. If he was still alive, she refused to risk the life they could have together. She would bide her time. She would submit to Alpha and do what she asked of her. She would wait for her moment and then she would have her revenge. Then maybe, just maybe, she could have that life with the man she loved.

Alpha finally moved her hand away from Connie's face and took one step backwards. She looked back at Connie with awe and anticipation. "Are we in agreement then?" Connie extended her hand placing it in Alpha's. She shook her hand and nodded.

**A/N:** Well I just finished watching the mid-season finale before publishing this chapter and I was surprised to find a few thematic similarities between that and this chapter. I'm sure you already watched it but if you didn't yet, stop reading.

Connie showed restraint with Alpha in this chapter because she didn't want to jeopardize the future she could have with Daryl. It reminded me very much of what Daryl said to Carol in the episode. Daryl told Carol that she was so obsessed with killing Alpha that she didn't even care about herself and was jeopardizing the future they could have.

Also I thought the way Alpha spoke to Dante in the beginning of the episode reminded me of the way she was talking to Connie in this chapter. I think a lot of people think she's an unrealistic villain and that nobody would follow her but I think that's the nature of a cult leader and their followers. They are CRAZY! I hope I'm capturing her well in this fic even though I'm doing something really different.

Maybe it was just me who picked up on those similarities between the show and my fic because I'm so immersed in them both. I absolutely loved this half season! Some people think it moved slow but I for one loved all the character development and can't wait to see how everything plays out.

Also I want to apologize if it was weird for me to share so much of my personal life in the A/N of the last chapter. I hope it didn't make anyone uncomfortable but it's just how I roll.

Anyhow, as always, thank you for reading and please drop me a comment. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of gratitude to God and the love of family!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Hotheads**

Carol sat at Daryl's bedside, watching her friend. A copy of "The Greenhouse Gardener's Manual" rested on her lap. She finally put the book down when she realized that she'd reread the same paragraph three times. She wanted to preoccupy her mind but she was too anxious to read. She decided to force herself to rest instead. Carol was just starting to drift off when she heard Daryl stir in his bed.

"Daryl!" she exclaimed standing up quickly and leaning over him. She brushed the curls out of his face and looked down at him, exhaling a sigh of relief. "Daryl, hey! How are you feeling?"

Daryl's eyes opened and closed several times before he fixed them on Carol. "I'm thirsty," he answered in a hoarse and muffled whisper.

Within seconds, Carol had a glass of water to his lips. She lifted the back of his head as he gulped the water quickly. "Slow down," she said before taking the glass from him and setting it back down on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Daryl replied as he looked down, noticing his left arm in a sling. He pulled the blanket away and looked down at his stomach. "I can't believe I'm alive. I thought I was a dead man for sure this time." Daryl pulled the blanket away even more and began to sit up.

"What are you doing?" Carol asked with concern.

"I gotta get outta here," Daryl mumbled as he stood up slowly.

"The hell you do. Get back in bed," Carol said standing in front of him with her hand on his chest. She firmly guided him back onto the bed. Daryl sat but he didn't lie down. "You need to stay put. Exactly one minute ago you were unconscious."

"I'm fine," Daryl argued as he started to get out of bed again.

"Don't you try that tough guy bullshit on me," Carol said as she placed her hand on his uninjured shoulder and held him down. "At the moment, I'm stronger than you."

Daryl shook his head and looked at his best friend. "I gotta get Connie. The Whisperers took her and I need to get her back."

"They _took_ her?" Carol asked in shock. "You came back alone and didn't tell us what happened before you blacked out. We thought she got lost or maybe she was dead. There's already a search party out looking for her."

"They don't know where to look. I need to go!" Daryl argued.

"Daryl, the only thing you need to do right now is lie back down and rest. I'm not just being dramatic when I'm telling you to stay put," Carol said in all seriousness. "Do you even know what happened to you?"

"I got shot a coupla times," Daryl replied casually. He was more aggravated that getting shot was keeping him from getting to Connie than the fact that it almost ended his life.

"You just had surgery. You were shot in the liver and you're lucky to be alive. If you hadn't made it back to Hilltop when you did, you would have bled to death out in the woods within a half hour."

Daryl looked around, suddenly realizing something. "What the hell? I went to Hilltop. Why am I in Alexandria?"

"You got to Hilltop and passed out from blood loss. Danielle was able to get the bleeding under control but she said you needed surgery. Henry, Alden, Danielle and Luke brought you over her in the Hilltop's fastest car...used up the last of their gas but thank God they had it in the first place. Three days ago, you had a blood transfusion and then Siddiq operated on you. He sutured up several blood vessels in your liver, stopped the bleeding and sewed you back up," Carol explained. "That's not even to mention the arrow you got through your shoulder and a fresh stab wound Rosita found stitched up on your back."

Carol folded the blanket back and nodded her head, telling him with her expression to lie back down. Daryl finally surrendered. He laid his head back on the pillow as she pulled the blanket up to his chest. Carol gave him another small drink of water before he looked back over at her and sighed in frustration.

"How long you been here?"

"Michonne radioed me when you arrived in Alexandria. She told me what happened and I rode in from the Kingdom as soon as I heard. I got here late, the day before yesterday," Carol replied. "Now, do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"It don't matter. All that matters is that she got taken by those maniacs and I'm here doin' nothin'!"

"You're recovering from nearly getting killed and having surgery, that's what you're doing," Carol stated adamantly. "And I told you, there's a search party out there. I'll talk to Michonne and the others and tell them where she is. We'll get her back, Daryl. You on the other hand, you have to stay here and heal. So do me a favor and tell me what happened."

Daryl sighed again. "We came back to the Kingdom after, you know...after the heads. Later that night, we went back to Hilltop. I was keepin' watch and I saw Connie jump the wall. I knew where she was goin', what she was gonna try to do. I couldn't let her go by herself so I followed her. We went to a place just outside the Whisperer camp. We took out six of 'em. We were gonna try and take one of them hostage to get intel but we wound up killing all of them. One of 'em stabbed me in the back and then we got caught up in a herd. We found a cabin in the woods and hid there a while I recovered while the herd passed. We left after a couple of days and that's when it happened."

"When what happened?" Carol asked.

Daryl's mind drifted. His heart sped up in his chest as he roused all the new emotions he was feeling towards Connie - holding her in his arms and kissing her lips. W_hen I realized how much I love her, _Daryl thought to himself. W_hen I kissed her and knew I was gonna love her til the day I die. When I realized how much I needed her...and that I didn't want to live without her._

"That's when they took her," Daryl answered. "They shot me, left me for dead and they took her."

"If they have her, we'll get her back."

"Why you sayin' that like we're dealin' with normal people that live by normal rules? They wear the skin of dead people! They decapitated 10 of our friends just because we wanted to help Lydia!" Daryl shouted. "They're batshit crazy and we don't know what they want Connie for or what the hell they're going to do to her!"

"Okay, I get it. They're crazy and Connie's not safe with them," Carol replied calmly. She folded her arms, sat back in her chair and stared at Daryl. "I haven't seen you this upset in a long time, Daryl. Tell me something: why does she mean that much to you?"

"What the hell kinda question is that?"

"You almost died last time you went out. You're lucky to be alive. You're barely out of the woods with your injuries and you're ready to go right back out there for someone you just met? Why?"

"You got a helluva lot of nerve askin' me that," Daryl answered back. "I just went out there not too long ago to get Henry back. I did that for _you_. And do I gotta remind you who went with me...who helped me get him back home to you?" Daryl asked with restrained anger. "Connie did! She went out there and risked her life for Henry and Lydia – two kids she barely knew!"

"And that's why we have people out there looking for her!"

"That ain't good enough! _I_ need to find her! _I_ need to get her back!"

"Are you responsible for her getting taken? Did you do something that put her in danger?" Carol leaned in, questioning Daryl. "Because it sounds like _she's_ the one who got you to go out there. It sounds like _she's_ the one who put _you_ in danger."

"Nah it ain't like that. Following her was _my _choice. I went out there because..." Daryl stopped and looked away.

"Because why?" Carol asked. Daryl remained silent, unable to explain. It was too overwhelming to express all that had transpired over the last several days. There were still just too many unfamiliar feelings to form into words. Daryl avoided Carol's eyes, staring down at the white cotton blanket on top of him. He mindlessly started pulling at the loose threads and wrapping them around his finger until the tips turned bright red.

"Well son of a bitch. I can't believe I didn't see it before." Carol chuckled as she shook her head. "You chased after her because you love her, don't you? _That's _why you're trying to go after her now. You almost died and you're ready to do it again because you love her, don't you?"

Daryl didn't answer her, but he didn't need to. Carol knew him better than anyone else alive and if she was wrong about Connie, he would have denied it immediately. His silence spoke volumes.

Carol stared back at him finally understanding all his actions and motivations. She placed her hand on his and he finally met her eyes with his. She smiled at him as she spoke. "I get it. I know why you have to get her back." Daryl nodded towards her in appreciation. "I'll go. I'll radio the search party that's already out there and tell them what's going on...tell them to wait. I'll assemble another team of my own and we'll meet up with them. We'll start planning tonight and leave first thing in the morning. We'll go to their camp and we'll get her back. We'll end this thing with them. Even if I have to go alone, I'll do whatever it takes, I promise."

"You ain't goin' out there alone! It ain't safe!" Daryl protested.

Daryl saw the fire behind Carol's eyes as her lips turned up in a dauntless grin. "That's real sweet Pookie, but you don't have to worry about me. I'll take care of this. I'll take care of myself. But you have to do one thing for me."

"You want me to stay here," he answered knowingly.

Carol nodded. "You have to heal. You _have_ to. I can't have you going back out there just to get yourself killed. You're gonna have to trust me."

Daryl shook his head in frustration and defeat before he finally looked back up at Carol. "Alright."

…..

Carol gathered Michonne, Aaron, Rosita, Eugene and a few others from Alexandria. She quickly filled all of them in on what Daryl had told her. The Whisperers had Connie and Carol promised Daryl that they'd get her back.

"Going into Whisperer territory to get Connie back will start a war," Aaron stated.

"We're already at war," Michonne replied. "They attacked us during the fair and we retreated. But I don't think most of us thought the retreat was permanent. At least I never did."

"But we have to ask ourselves if going in to their camp, getting Connie back and killing anyone who gets in the way of that...is that really what we're prepared to do?" Aaron asked.

"It's what I'm prepared to do." Carol met Aaron's eyes with a sober look. " I told Daryl we'd get her back. If no one is with me, then I'll go on my own."

"No you won't," Henry said with certainty. "I won't let you."

"Let me?" Carol asked with raised eyebrows.

"Mom, all I meant was that if you're going, I'm going too."

Rosita pursed her lips and shook her head as she spoke up next."No. This can't happen this way. There has to be a united front. And I don't just mean united in Alexandria. _All four_ communities have to decide together."

"That's right," Aaron said next. "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. And if we decide to attack _them_, it has to be a unified decision."

"When we drew up the charter, that is what we agreed to, Carol. We should stick by that," Michonne said.

"Well then everybody needs to get on board with this," Carol stated stoically.

"That's it," Aaron argued. "You say we're attacking so we all need to just agree to it? That's not a discussion. That's not how this works."

"Well then tell me how the hell it works. You want to cower to them? You want to follow their sick rules? They attacked us! They decapitated 10 of our own and put them on display! They almost killed Daryl and they took Connie, and you're telling me that we need to discuss this more?"

"Yes, Carol. We _do _need to discuss this more." Aaron said as he leaned in towards her defiantly. "If we do this we're going to have to meet with the other communities and come up with a plan."

"We don't know what they'll do to Connie if we wait. They're sick! They're monsters and she's in danger right now!"

"We don't even know if Connie's alive," Rosita said.

"They left Daryl for dead but they _took_ Connie. If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her then and there, not taken her."

"You don't know that," Rosita argued. "None of us know what the hell those psychopaths are thinking."

Carol took a deep breath and smoothed her hair back. "None of this matters. I already made a promise to Daryl to get her back and I'm going..."

_"We're _going," Henry corrected her.

"Fine. Henry and I are going. I hope the rest of you will have the backbone to go with us."

"Don't do this, Carol. Don't just go out there on your own," Aaron said. "We'll figure this out together and that's going to take some time."

"Connie and Daryl went out there to save Henry. They didn't hesitate and wait for councils and meetings. They didn't have to wait for someone to tell them to do what they already knew was right. They walked into that Whisperer camp without thinking of their own safety and they brought him back to me. It's what they would have done for any one of you - for any one of your kids, so it's what I'll do for them." The room fell silent as everyone looked at Carol.

"And look where that got us," Rosita finally replied. "Yeah Daryl and Connie went to save Henry and Lydia. They didn't hesitate and they were brave. But the result of that was 10 heads on pikes, remember? We lost Gabe and Enid and Tara because of that."

Carol looked at Rosita with contempt. "How dare you imply that what those sadistic monsters did was Daryl's fault."

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that every action has a reaction. I'm saying that whatever we do, it should be for all of us to decide not just one person."

"If we do this," Michonne started, "we have to do it all the way. And that's going to mean taking our time. Not just jumping into things with hot heads." The room fell silent once more as everyone contemplated what to do.

"I remember when we were under Negan," Aaron said somberly. "We _all _remember what that was like...how bad it was. But we had to deal with it for a period of time until we figured out the best way to defeat him. We had to bide our time and wait for the right moment. It's the best way to assure that we're ready and that we sustain the fewest amount of casualties as possible. I lost Eric back then. Even though we made a plan, I still lost him. I don't want to think how many more lives would have been lost if we had just crashed through the gates with nothing but our courage."

"All of us are with you Carol," Michonne stated as she placed her hand on Carol's shoulder. "If Connie's alive, we'll get her back. You can still keep your promise to Daryl."

Carol looked into the faces of each of her friends realizing that she was alone in this. She knew how things worked now. They were "civilized" again. There was a government now. Law and order...checks and balances. She wasn't going to convince them of anything. That was fine though – she didn't need to. A tentative smile appeared on her face as she folded her hands in front of her. "I understand," she said simply. "C'mon Henry, let's get going."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Visit**

Negan laid on his bed reading yet another Tom Clancy novel. He only had two chapters to go and he was completely immersed in Jack Ryan's world of espionage and war on terror. His eyes quickly darted away from the page when he heard the outside door to the cellar, open and close quietly. He wondered who it could be. He looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was 8:44 P.M. His dinner dishes had been cleared nearly two hours ago. He wasn't expecting to see anyone until 8 A.M. the next morning when Cecelia would bring him his breakfast.

"Shit," Negan said under his breath. It was probably Neil, the town drunk. The dead were walking around and the government had fallen to pieces but Alexandria still managed to have an irritating, sad sack, town drunk. _If that son of a bitch thinks he's gonna blab to me all night long about his damn wife and kids that died a decade ago, he has another thing comin', _Negan thought to himself._ I'll knock his head through those bars if he thinks his sob story is more interesting than Jack Ryan's attempts to prevent a nuclear warhead being detonated at the Superbowl._

Of course Negan wasn't going to assault Neil. If he did something crazy like that, no matter how tempting it was, they'd take away his outdoor time. He'd made that mistake already and he knew Michonne, Gabriel and Aaron wouldn't hesitate to pull him from his beloved garden and put him on laundry duty again. Hours and hours of washing, rinsing, ringing and hanging just on the other side of his cell...it just wasn't worth it.

Negan would change his approach. He set his book on the concrete floor and rolled over on his cot. He would just pretend to be asleep, then hopefully Neil wouldn't even try to engage him.

He closed his eyes as he listened to the footsteps nearing his cell.

"Negan," he heard his name being spoken by the pleasant and unfamiliar voice of a woman. His curiosity got the best of him. He quickly abandoned the ruse of pretending to be asleep and rolled over to see who was speaking to him. His eyes widened when he saw the striking woman in front of him.

The woman was dressed ruggedly, like someone well accustomed to life outside the protection the walls offered. Negan could tell right away that she was no stranger to battle or danger. Her face boasted a peaches and cream complexion that looked young and vibrant. But her long, silver hair, twisted into a braid behind her shoulders revealed her true age.

Negan sat up and stared at her with his full attention. He smiled curiously as he studied her every move with great intrigue.

"Well who in the hell would you be?" he asked.

"My name is Carol," she replied succinctly as she stared him down.

"Now I think I've met, or at least seen, just about every single person in Alexandria but I can say with certainty that I have never laid my eyes on you."

"You haven't. I don't live here. I live in the Kingdom."

"Carol from the Kingdom?" Negan replied thoughtfully. He had heard of her many times but it had been a while. He was piecing it all together when suddenly it all fit. "Well excuse the shit out of me. Queen Carol!"

"Don't call me that."

"Well if you're the wife of King Ezekiel then..."

"I'm just Carol."

"You are not _just_ anyone. Your reputation precedes you!"

"How do you know who I am?" Carol asked casually.

"_Everyone_ knows who you are," Negan replied enthusiastically.

"I asked _how_ do you know who I am."

"I believe we have a mutual friend: Judith Grimes."

"Judith told you about me?" Carol asked with surprise.

"Little Miss Judith is Alexandria's resident story-teller and historian. She's the eyes and ears of this place. If you didn't know that, then maybe you're not as close to her as I thought."

"I'm not here to talk about Judith so why don't you just keep her name out of your mouth. I came here..."

"Well hold on just a damn second!" Negan interrupted. "Introductions and pleasantries are important to me. I'm not allowed conjugal visits, damn, I can't even catch an afternoon matinee so what can I say, conversation with anyone who I happen to cross paths with has become a hobby."

"Are you sure it's not because you just like the sound of your own voice?" Carol asked dryly.

"Well I do enjoy my own company. You kind of have to when you're in an 9x9 cell by yourself all day."

"I didn't come here for chit chat and I don't have time for it either."

"Well I can only assume you came here for something...something from me, right?" Carol stared at him and didn't answer. "Well, if you want something from me, then it's only fair I get something from you too."

Carol crossed her arms as she sighed. "What do you want?"

A wide and wiry grin slowly formed across Negan's chiseled face. "Well," he began mischievously, "I'm sure you could probably guess the first thing I'd like to have from you."

"Is that supposed to be a sexual proposition?" Carol asked contorting her face as she uncrossed her arms.

"It's not _supposed_ to be a proposition," Negan replied in a gooey tone, thoroughly enjoying this particular moment. "It definitely _is_ one."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I would never kid about that," Negan said as he looked down, still smiling. "I can think of several fun positions we could make work with these bars between us. What do you say...Your Majesty?"

Carol stood perfectly still, staring at him with contempt, unamused by his banter.

""Well I'm gonna guess that ice queen look you're given' me is a 'no' but the offer_ always_ stands." Negan leaned back as he continued to study her. "Well if a roll in the hay is off the table, then I think I'd like to hear a story or two."

"I told you, I don't have time for that," Carol replied impatiently.

"Oh c'mon. If you came all the way down here, it's not to borrow a cup of sugar. You want something big. And if you do, you gotta give me a little somethin' in return. And if you're refusing me _any_ form of freaky-deaky, then I'm gonna want to talk."

"What do you want to talk about?" Carol asked unfolding her arms and placing her hands on her hips.

"Judith told me a story about you. She said that years ago, you single-handedly saved all your friends from a place called...dammit what was the name of the place?" Negan asked himself, trying to recall the details he'd heard.

"Terminus. The place was called Terminus."

"So it's true then? It really happened?"

"Yes," Carol replied abruptly.

"Tell me, how'd you do it?" He said with excitement as he spun his chair around, sat backwards in it and leaned in towards her.

Carol hesitated. She didn't want to do this but he was leaving her no choice. "I shot a hole in their fuel tanks which made an explosion. It drew a nearby herd in through their gates. I blended in with the herd, came in and helped them fight their way out."

"Wow, you really retell the story with such showmanship and pizazz," Negan replied sarcastically then chuckled. Carol rolled her eyes. "So you just went in there, guns a blazin', blew up their house and killed 'em all? Sounds reasonable."

"You think I should have shown them mercy?"

"Hell I don't know. I wasn't there."

"Did Judith tell you the people at Terminus were cannibals?"

"What?!" Negan shouted as he stood quickly from his chair. "Real life cannibals? I mean cannibals that aren't dead. Are you shittin' me?"

"I shit you not," Carol said calmly.

"No, Judith left that little juicy detail, no pun intended, she left that little detail out. I guess maybe whoever told her the story gave her the PG-13 version." Negan sat in his chair and faced her again, even more captivated by Carol than before. "So you didn't just save all your friends from their captors. You saved 'em from turning into human Happy Meals! Well damn! Maybe I don't want to screw you cause I think you might have a set of balls under there!"

"So are we finished?" Carol asked.

"Oh we're just getting started. I'm just getting to know you and there's still a lot of mystery around you. I heard another story about you. I heard that Alexandria was attacked a little before our groups met."

"And?"

"And you killed one of the attackers, dressed like him, then killed the rest? Is that true?"

Carol moved the chair outside the cell closer to the bars and sat down. She leaned in closer to Negan and narrowed her eyes. "Yes that happened. That story's true but I can think of an even better one."

"Really?" Negan gasped as he smiled with excitement. "Well hot diggity dog! Spill it! Tell me what you got!"

"Well, one day I was on the road," Carol began in a pleasant voice. "I was all alone...minding my own business and just trying to get to where I was going. I came across a group of your guys. I guess you all liked to call yourselves 'The Saviors', didn't you? Well I happened upon these 'Savior boys' and what do you know, they didn't want to let me go. Can you imagine that? One little gray-haired lady, all 127 pounds of me, all by myself. They didn't want to let me be and let me go on my way. I meant them no harm but they wouldn't let me pass...like trolls on a bridge. I remember it very clearly, like it just happened. They were driving a gray pick-up truck. I only heard one name...Miles. Did you have a guy named Miles?"

"I did," Negan answered. "Went with some other guys towards here and never came back."

"Oh I know they didn't. They didn't come back because I put them down on the road right there."

"_You_ took them out? All of them?"

"Well since were telling the truth I gotta say that I only took out four of those boys. My friend Morgan killed the last one."

"Another crew they found 'em...shot up and put down for good. Hmm. So that's what happened to Miles and his boys? " Negan asked shaking his head.

Carol nodded. "It is."

"How'd you do it? How did you, a silver-haired fox, 127 pounds of dainty sweetness, take down four heavily armed men?"

"They underestimated me...a mistake I hope you won't make."

"That's it? You're not gonna tell me how you did it. My men were trained. They knew what they were doing."

"Did they?"

"Yeah, they did. They were one of my best crews. Did you sneak up on them? Did you..."

"I can't tell you all my secrets, now can I?"

"Why not? There's so little in life that brings me joy."

"That's your own fault. You're lucky to be on this side of the ground."

"Am I? It's just me in this 9x9 cell, alone and at the mercy of others."

"Like I said, you being here, it's your own fault."

"Oh c'mon! What did I do that was so bad? I'm not mad about what you did to my boys. In fact, I'm impressed. We were at war. And how does the saying go? All's fair in love and war."

"What you did, that wasn't war. The war came later when we decided we weren't gonna take your sadistic shit anymore. But that night, the night you had my friends on their knees, that wasn't war. That was you beating two of my friends to death. They were unarmed and making no threat to you but you killed them anyway. You took a man away from his wife and unborn baby and you laughed while you did it."

Negan remained momentarily silent as he reflected on what he had just heard."Alright, so we both did some messed up shit. What's your point?"

"You think I'm like you?" Carol laughed.

"We're both killers. Does it matter what our motives were?"

"Hell yes it matters. It matters now and it mattered back then too."

"Well I'm paying for what I did. Someone judged me and said that I belong here. You on the other hand, you're free as a bird."

"You can be free too."

"What are you talking about?" Negan asked as he stood up. He stared down at Carol, questioning her with his eyes. "Is this why you're here? You want to break me free and use me for somethin', don't you?"

"I have a friend," Carol began, "she was taken by The Whisperers and I want you to help me get her back. You do that - you help me get her back and I'll give you your freedom. It's that simple."

"Nothing is that simple."

"It can be. I mean if it's not that simple it's usually because someone does something to complicate it or screw it up."

Negan paced around his cell slowly, pondering the proposition. He cartoonishly narrowed his eyes and held his bearded chin with his thumb index finger. " Now tell me something Carol...I _can _call you Carol right?" She nodded. "Tell me exactly why I would want to help you? I've had a taste of freedom and I'm sorry to say but I think I'd rather stay here and stick it out with the fine folks of Alexandria."

"Why?"

"I busted out of here a few months ago and I gotta say, I was underwhelmed by the experience of freedom. There ain't _no one_ out there for good ol' Negan to hitch his wagon to. I think I gotta pretty good deal here. Three hots and a cot, as they say. On top of that, I got all the books I want to read and four hours of sunshine to work in my garden every day. I got safety. I'm not sure what could possibly be on the other side of those walls that could compete with all that."

Carol sighed, hanging her head and looking down at the gray concrete floor. When she raised her head again, she looked at Negan again. "You're such a coward."

"Excuse me," Negan replied.

"You've heard stories about me, well I've heard stories about you too. And now, I'm looking at you face to face, and you're pathetic. I mean did you actually have people that thought you were strong enough to follow? People that thought you could lead them? Protect them? _Save_ them? How full of shit you must have been to get anyone to follow you. I thought you could help me but I guess I was wrong. You're weak and you're a coward. If I took you out there with me, I'd just be carrying you the whole way."

Negan turned his mouth up in a sinister grin as he looked back at Carol. "You're not gonna make me feel bad that I got a pretty good gig goin' here. You think you can manipulate me with that reverse psychology bullshit? Nice try but it ain't gonna work."

"I'm not trying to manipulate you. I'm just telling you what I see."

"Look lady, even if I wanted to help you, there's no way the others would get behind it. Aaron, Father Gabe, they control my every move as if they ain't got anything better to do. They wouldn't trust me enough to let me out. And if you broke me out, well hell, I'd just be a common fugitive and no one here would hesitate to shoot me down like a dog."

"Gabriel's dead," Carol stated bluntly. She watched as Negan's face quickly dropped. "I take it you didn't know that."

"No, I didn't know that. Nobody tells me shit," Negan replied, his shoulders sinking. "I am truly sorry to hear that. I actually really liked the guy. He had his ass wound up tighter than a snare drum but he always treated me fair. He always took the time to listen to me and talk to me and I...hell, I'm just really sorry to hear that."

"Are you really?"

"Yeah, I am," Negan replied sincerely.

"But are you willing to do anything about it? Or are you just looking out for yourself?"

"I've always looked out for number one. You got to because nobody else is gonna do it. It was true before and it sure as hell is even truer now."

"Gabriel was killed along with nine others. Murdered in cold blood along with a couple of teenagers and other innocent people. The Whisperers, they cut their heads off and stuck them on pikes. They put them on display to mark their territory. Gabe was good to you. You said it yourself. You say you're sorry to hear about it but are you sorry enough to_ do_ anything? Sure I've made mistakes. I've spilled blood and maybe some of the blood I've spilled I shouldn't have. But not a day goes by that I don't try to make up for it...try to set things right. You can help me right now. You can set things right too. You can't undo what you did before but you can sure as hell do something now. Do something right and something good. Help me. If I have nothing to offer you, then help me just because I'm asking you to and because you can. Help me because there's still something good inside of you that wants to do the right thing."

Carol stood stoically in front of Negan while he remained silent and thoughtful. She needed him and he knew it. He looked through the bars at her baby blue eyes, welling up with tears that she was desperately trying to hold in.

Negan's immediate attraction to her overwhelmed and excited him. Yes she was lovely to look at but there was something beyond her unconventional beauty that drew him in. It was obvious how strong she was but her strength was different from the others he'd encountered over the years since the world came crashing down. Her strength was masking something else inside of her.

"Well if you're not coming with me, then I guess we don't have anything else to say to each other," Carol said with resolve. She placed her hands on her legs and slowly stood from her chair. She turned and began to walk away from Negan's cell.

Carol's guilt trip hadn't convinced Negan to help. Her appeal to him to be a better man and do the right thing hadn't moved him either. Those things probably should have but he was an asshole, through and through, and they didn't. But he couldn't let her leave. If she walked away Negan was sure he'd never see her again. Everything about her intrigued him and he wanted to know exactly what it was.

"Now wait just a damn second," Negan said in a chirpy tone. "I never said I wasn't gonna help you."

Carol stopped and turned to face Negan again. "You're going to go with me then...help me get my friend back? Do you mean it?"

"Well I don't have anything better to do."

"Do I have to go through the rules or are they obvious to you?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"You lay one hand on me and I'll castrate you," Carol stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Wow, you really know how to sweet-talk a guy," Negan said as he smiled. "Now tell me, Your Majesty, you got a key to this cell?"

…..

**A/N:** Well I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! I have really missed all of you but the holidays took me far from my writing and I'm so glad to be back!

I have to say I've been planning this chapter for months and I'm so happy with the result. I don't think that Carol and Negan have ever shared even a second of screen time together? I think their chemistry would be explosive. I definitely felt it during this chapter and I hope you did too. I know this is a Daryl/Connie fic but I couldn't resist putting these two together too. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think! Dear friends, I hope God will bless you and draw you into a closer walk with Him throughout 2020! Love to you all!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Constant**

*****TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT *****

Connie couldn't sleep. How could she? The ground was hard and she was freezing. But she knew her insomnia was really because of the people sleeping all around her. How could she sleep among total strangers who also happened to be deadly lunatics? She was well aware of her outsider status by the looks she had received over the last two days. No matter where she went in the Whisperer camp, eyes followed her. Some were merely curious while most others looked at Connie with suspicion. One nasty group in particular looked at her with outright hatred. After all, she was the "enemy".

Connie laid on the ground near the fire, trying her best to keep warm without a blanket. The sky was clear and dark, lit up only by tiny stars. She stared at them above her, mesmerized despite her circumstances. She majored in Journalism and Political Science at Columbia University but she minored in Astronomy. She loved the the stars, ever since she was a little girl she had loved them.

Connie found Castor and Pollux, the two brightest stars in the Gemini Constellation. She named the others in her head as she found them. _Gamma Geminorum, Eta Geminorum , Mu Geminorum, Epsilom Geminorum, Zeta Geminorum, Delta Geminorum, Xi Geminorum, Kappa Geminorum, Upsilon Geminorum, Tau Geminorum, Lambda Geminorum, Geminga, Iota Geminorum, Theta Geminorum, Omicron. _Omicron was very difficult to find with the naked eye. Connie proudly wondered to herself if anyone else alive was still able to find one of the smallest stars in Gemini.

This planet was in shambles but the stars were still the same. They didn't move or change. They were the same stars she looked at on her camping trips her dad would take her and Kelly on when they were young. The same stars she studied in college and the same stars she pointed out to Jessi on their first date. The same stars that existed the day she was born and the thousands or millions of years before that. They remained a constant.

Connie thought of a scripture she read one time, long ago. Many times over the the last decade she had recalled the verse and was comforted by its reassurance. _Look up into the heavens! __Who created all the stars__? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing, _she said to herself and smiled peacefully._ If God took the time to number and name the stars, He knows my name too._

As Connie continued to stare into the dark sky, she couldn't help but think of Daryl. She wondered for the hundredth time if he was still alive. She hoped for it. She prayed for it. She couldn't help but smile at the euphoric thought of the kiss they had shared just moments before he was shot, and they were separated.

Connie closed her eyes as her mind drifted to him. She replayed their last moments together. His lips crashing into hers, the salty taste of his tongue as it met hers, the feel of his strong hands on her hips as he held her body close to his. Then when the kiss finally broke, Daryl taking her hand in his, walking towards their new lives with one another.

The thought of that being their last moment together made Connie's heart ache. If he was gone, it just felt like a cruel joke being played on her.

She let her eyes remain closed and rolled onto her side inching even closer to the fire. She decided she had to try to sleep. _If you're going to fight these bastards, you gotta get some sleep girl. Sleep, eat all their food and smile at everyone. _

As she drifted off, her mind teetered between the surreal place of awake and asleep. She fell into a trance and once more, thoughts of Daryl Dixon came to mind. They were at the cabin again. She was sitting on the small sofa and he was walking towards her. She smiled softly as she reached out her hand to him. He stared at her small fingers before taking them into his own hand. She motioned for him to sit down on the sofa next to her. He did. She placed her hand in his and spelled out words for him in the dark. S-T-A-Y W-I-T-H M-E she signed. P-L-E-A-S-E D-O-N-T L-E-A-V-E. J-U-S-T S-T-A-Y.

Daryl placed his hand in her hand. I-M H-E-R-E. I A-L-W-A-Y-S W-I-L-L B-E H-E-R-E.

Suddenly Connie felt hands grabbing her. They weren't Daryl's gentle hands...they were rough. They were coming from behind her on the sofa, groping at her chest. A sick feeling came over her as she stared into Daryl's face. She felt him frantically signing in her hand again. C-O-N-N-I-E W-A-K-E U-P R-I-G-H-T N-O-W! W-A-K-E U-P!

Connie's eyes shot open and she bolted upright. Powerful hands slammed her body and head back to the ground. Her head throbbed. She opened her eyes again as the sky spun above. The hands that had thrown her to the ground moved back to her chest. The man threw his legs over her body and pinned her left shoulder to the ground. He pulled his hand away from her chest and reached down to unbutton her pants. She squirmed beneath him as he tried to undress her.

A second man came over and helped hold Connie down. He pinned her right arm to the ground so the first man could have his way more easily.

"Mine!" the first man grunted under his breath, as he pushed the second man away.

"I help you, you help me," the second man argued quietly.

"No, she's mine," he repeated as he looked down to unzip his pants. Connie reached over to her left, feeling all over the ground for anything she could use to defend herself. Her fingers slid over a sharp rock next to the fire pit. She tried to lift it but it was too heavy. She kept trying, maneuvering her fingers underneath it. Her attacker awkwardly tried to push his pants down as he writhed on top of her. Before he could finish undressing, the rock slammed into the side of his head. He reached up and held his hand to his bleeding temple. Connie pulled the rock back and slammed it into the back of his head next. He rolled his body off hers, then fell onto his back. Connie immediately climbed on top of him and hit him with the rock again. She bashed it into his face and head over and over again as he sputtered and bled beneath her.

The second man came up behind her, pulling her off of the first. Connie flailed her arms around, landing a single blow with the rock on that attacker. He released her and held onto his face screaming.

Seconds later Connie was up and on her feet. The commotion had awoken dozens of the Whisperers and they all came to see what had happened. One woman knelt on the ground near Connie's first attacker. She placed her fingers on his neck. "He's dead," she said quietly. "She killed him."

Several people encircled Connie, ready to attack. Connie raised her arm, holding the rock up with both hands. She turned in circles, preparing herself for another assault.

"What is happening here?" Alpha's commanding voice was heard by all her followers. They retreated slightly and looked at the woman in charge approaching with Beta right behind her. What are you doing?" she asked the people gathered around Connie.

"She killed him" the woman spoke. "We were going to avenge him."

Alpha stood directly in front of Connie, trying to speak clearly to her. "Did you kill this man?"

Connie nodded her head.

"Why?" Alpha asked as she pulled the rock from Connie's hand.

Connie stared stoically into the chilling woman's face as she began to sign furiously.

_He attacked me! He was trying to rape me and I stopped him. I killed him and I'm glad I did! If I could, I'd kill every last one of you! Do whatever you want to me but I'm not afraid of you, you crazy bitch!_

"You have a lot to say, don't you?" Alpha asked in a soothing voice. "I look forward to the day when I'll be able to understand it all." Alpha turned to the others in her group. "Is there anyone here that can tell me what happened?"

The second man that tried to attack Connie stood in front of Alpha. He still held onto his bleeding face as he spoke. "He was trying to take her but she wouldn't let him. She hit him in the head with the rock and killed him."

"And what happened to you?" Alpha asked in her sick, velvety drawl.

"I...I was trying to help him...protect him and she, she hit me too."

Alpha crossed her hands behind her back and tilted her head as she looked at the trembling man. "Why are you lying to me?" she asked.

"I'm not lying," he replied, his voice shaking.

"The dead man tried to take this woman and he failed. She proved herself stronger." Alpha turned to the other man. "You were trying to take her too, weren't you?" The man vigorously shook his head. "Yes, yes you were. But you proved yourself no stronger than the dead man. She beat you too."

Alpha turned around and whispered to Beta for what seemed like a long time. When she turned back around, she looked at the man and smiled showing off her darkened teeth. The man stared back with wide eyes when Alpha immediately slid a sharp knife into the his gut. She quickly pulled it out and slid it in again and again. He gasped as he reached down to hold his bleeding belly.

Alpha addressed the others as she held the bloody knife at her side. "This woman is not to be touched. From this moment on, no one will harm one hair on her head. In fact, she is to be protected. She is my Gamma. Consider your lives of less value than hers. Is all that understood?" Everyone nodded.

Alpha walked back towards Connie and looked her in the eyes. "You protected yourself. You proved yourself stronger than your two attackers. Tell me, were they weak, or are you strong?"

Connie stood tall as she pointed to herself.

"That's very good. If they had been stronger, or if you had been weaker, they would have been free to have their way with you," Alpha stated as she grinned. "But you don't have to worry any longer. No one will try to harm you. In fact," Alpha said as she slid her grimy fingers into Connie's hand, "you'll sleep close to me from now on."

Connie choked back her anger and disgust as she nodded to Alpha. As they walked towards Alpha's tent, Connie's blood boiled inside. The only thing she wanted more than to see Daryl again, was to kill every last one of these monsters.

…..

Daryl took his last bite of eggs and set his fork on the plate. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes shot to the door when he heard the knob turn.

"Hey," Michonne said as she walked in. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah you too," Daryl replied. He meant it too. Daryl Dixon could count on both hands how many people alive that he actually liked to see. People that didn't make him feel like such an outsider...who he could be himself around. People that didn't irritate the hell out of him. Michonne was one of them.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she came to his bedside and took his plate off his lap.

"Helluva a lot better than I felt when I woke up yesterday."

"Sorry I didn't come to see you yesterday. Things are still crazy here and on top of that, R.J. had a stomach bug."

"He okay?"

"Yeah he's better. A little dehydrated but mostly back to bein' trouble today." Michonne looked at her friend and patted his hand. "Really though, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I kept trying to get over here but..."

"Don't do that," Daryl said. "You got a lot to do runnin' this place and takin' care of a family. I'm a big boy and everyone here's been takin' good care of me."

Daryl watched Michonne as tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away but more immediately appeared.

"Hey what's wrong?"

Michonne shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Nice try," Daryl said as he squeezed her hand. "Tell me."

"When the Hilltop brought you here, I thought you were dead. You were covered in blood and barely hanging on. Then you had surgery and I still was so scared we were going to lose you."

"I ain't goin' nowhere...y'all are stuck with me," Daryl said, trying to comfort her with a slight smile.

Michonne didn't return the smile. "We've had a stretch of safety. We've had some wins over the last few years and I started to think that maybe our lives were in a good place. Like maybe everything was better – not just for a few weeks or months but for good." Michonne looked down. "Then the pikes happened. It felt like a nightmare from the past. And then you almost died and it all came back to me. I felt it all crashing down again. You almost died and things are far from over with the Whisperers. And I'm not ready for what it could cost us."

"We'll get through it," Daryl said in an optimistic tone.

"I would always say that to him. No matter how bad things were...no matter how dark or hopeless it seemed, I would always tell him that it would be okay...that we'd get through it. But the fact that he's not here, tells me that it doesn't always happen that way." More tears poured from Michonne's eyes and ran down her face. "Everyday, everyday I wake up and I still miss him. I still miss him like it just happened. Every time I look at R.J.'s blue eyes I miss him – every single time. You're a brother to me Daryl, and the thought of losing you or my kids or anyone else I've grown to love...it's just too much."

Daryl didn't know what to say anymore. He wasn't good at meaningless platitudes and condolences. He simply held her hand.

Neither of them was in a hurry to let the raw and tender moment end. They were both warriors, fortified by years of living in a sort of hell. But not right now. Physically, Daryl was certainly at his weakest and it had been years since Michonne had openly cried in front of someone. It felt cathartic to let themselves be vulnerable for a few moments.

"It looks like you're out of the woods with your injuries. We really are blessed to have some amazing doctors," Michonne said as she smiled at her friend. "I'm glad you're okay, Daryl."

Daryl nodded as he chewed his bottom lip. "Yeah," he grunted. "Me too."

"Well I have to go," Michonne finally said. "I have about a million things to do."

"I know you do. I'm surprised you're even here."

Michonne scoffed. "Where else would I be?"

"Figured you'd be out with the team Carol took out to get Connie."

Michonne knitted her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Carol, she left to get Connie. I was gonna go too but she damn near tied me to the bed."

"Carol didn't take out a team. We're meeting with the other three communities this afternoon to discuss what our next move will be. We called our search party back and we haven't sent anyone else out yet."

Daryl sat straight up in his bed. "Carol told me last night she was leavin' right away. She said she just had to get the last couple members of her team ready and then she was headin' out."

"I don't know anything about that" Michonne stated as she shook her head. "Carol was supposed to wait for a unanimous decision."

Before either of them could say another word, the door to Daryl's room flew open.

Aaron stared gravely at both of them as he tried to catch his breath. "Hey we got a big problem."

"What's going on?" Michonne asked, as her eyes widened.

"It's Negan," Aaron replied anxiously. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Michonne exclaimed.

Aaron nodded. "Me and Laura just did a headcount and some others are missing too."

"Who," Daryl asked.

"Carol, Henry and Lydia."

Daryl threw off the blankets on his bed, stood up quickly and searched for his clothes.

"What are you doing?" Michonne asked. Daryl ignored her as he swung open the closet door and pulled out his clothes. "You can't go out there...you're still recovering."

Daryl couldn't lay in a hospital bed for another second. His best friend was with one psycho killer while she searched for the woman he loved, with a _pack_ of psycho killers. It was too much and Daryl was jumping out of his skin. "I'm going to find Carol. I'm killing Negan and I'm getting Connie back," he declared stubbornly. "And y'all ain't gonna stop me neither."

…..

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and I'd love to hear what you think about it. Any predictions or suggestions? I have to say, my readers are the absolute best! You give me so much encouragement by being here and supporting me. I have had a really rough month and I've been incredibly emotional about it. But writing something and knowing you're reading it brings me more joy than I can express. I love being in this little world with these characters and all of you too. It's kind of fantastic and usually brings me out of my own small world of troubles. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know how much I love and appreciate you! God bless you friends!

The scripture is taken from Isaiah 40:26, the NLT translation.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Why Can't We Be Friends?**

The motorcycle's handlebars vibrated underneath Daryl's hands as he drove down the sunny tree-lined road. Fuel was in short supply and it had been nearly a month since Daryl had ridden. He didn't mind walking and sometimes even preferred the security of feeling the ground underneath his feet, but this time, Michonne and Aaron insisted he ride out to look for the others. They didn't want him to go at all but Daryl couldn't be stopped. They insisted he ride instead of walk.

Michonne held onto the back of the motorcycle instead of Daryl, mindful of his injuries. She felt the bike slow down, then watched Daryl pull it onto the shoulder. He climbed off the bike slowly and Michonne followed suit. He pushed the kickstand out with the toe of his boot and took his crossbow off the back of the bike.

"You ready for a walk?"

"How do you know this is the way they went?" Michonne asked.

"Cause I know Carol."

"I need a little more than that to go on."

"After all these years you don't trust me?" Daryl asked.

"I trust you implicitly." Michonne cocked her head and gave him a questioning smile. "After all these years you don't know that I want every possible detail in any given situation?"

"Fair enough," Daryl mumbled. "I know Carol didn't cross into their territory east of here because she'd have to go though the swamps. She hates the swamps."

"Everyone hates the swamps."

"Carol hates 'em more. Ever since Zeke lost his horse in them swamps. She'd walk ten miles out of her way to avoid 'em."

"Okay well why wouldn't she have crossed through a couple miles back? Why would she come this far west?"

Daryl sighed. ""Carol's smart. She's patient. She ain't marchin' right up to their camp. She wants to watch 'em first – get a picture of their routine, figure out who's where before she makes any moves. It'll give her the upper hand."

"And?"

"You know what's less than two miles into these woods?" Daryl asked as he pointed. "Cliffs overlooking their entire camp. She'll have a good vantage point from there. Also, if we was to attack, they'd be expectin' it from further east...closer to our communities. They probably ain't watchin' the cliffs from the west nearly as good. She can find out exactly where Connie is from up there. Laura said nine guns were missing. I guarantee you one of 'em is a rifle with a scope?" Michonne nodded. "Maybe she'll take a few of 'em out. Maybe she'll even send Lydia down to draw Alpha out into the open so she can take a shot at her."

"You think Carol would use Lydia like that?"

Daryl grimaced as he shook his head. He knew every angle Carol had, good and bad. "Yeah, I do. She'll use Lydia – she'll sure as hell use Negan. She'll do whatever it takes."

Michonne finally nodded as she drew her sword from behind. "Alright then, let's start walkin'."

…..

Carol walked through the dense cover of the wood with Negan at her side and Henry and Lydia 20 or so feet in front of them. The teens walked hand as they talked in a hush to each other.

They had ridden bikes for several miles but as soon as they needed to travel through the thick wood, they set out on foot. It had been a quiet and uneventful journey but as soon as they arrived at the top of a small hill, half a dozen corpses shuffled around in a small valley below.

The foursome stopped and eyed the walkers. "Henry, Lydia, can you handle those two?" Carol asked motioning to her left.

"Got it," Henry replied as he and Lydia moved confidently towards two of the dead.

Negan had remained completely unarmed during the whole trip and now Carol handed him a small clip-point knife. "Take it and help me take these walkers down."

"How generous of you, Your Majesty," Negan said with a grin as he took the knife from Carol's hand. He wasted no time charging down the hill and straight for the walkers. Without hesitation, he slid the knife into the head of one rotting corpse before spinning around and repeating the action on another. Carol walked carefully down the hill and exterminated a walker once she reached the bottom. When she finished, she watched Negan walk up to the last walker. He happily whistled as he ran the blade into its temple.

When the four reconvened, Carol looked over at Negan and immediately extended her hand out to him. "I'll take the knife back."

"Wouldn't you feel safer if I kept it?" Negan asked.

"If I did I'd let you keep it but I don't so hand it over."

Negan grabbed a few thick leaves and cleaned the blood and gore off the blade. He smiled as he handed it back to Carol. "Whatever it takes to earn your trust, I'm your guy." Carol took the knife and the four walked up the other side of the hill. It wasn't long before Henry and Lydia were walking hand in hand again.

Negan stared ahead at them with a wide grin. "Aww to be young and in love again. There ain't no other better feeling than a first love. This is his first, right?"

Carol didn't want to engage Negan in conversation not pertaining to the mission. But after walking for nearly three hours, she was sick of being inside her own head and decided a little conversation would be harmless.

"Yeah, it's his first. At least as far as I know."

"And he's your boy?"

"Yes, he's my boy."

"Is he your only kid?" Negan asked.

Carol hesitated again before answering. They just started talking and already he was asking her questions she didn't want to answer. "Yes. Ezekiel and I just have Henry."

"Well he looks like a fine young man. A little wet behind the ears but strong enough to put up a fight. Let's just hope he doesn't trip over his nutsack tryin' to prove himself to his new girlfriend."

"He'll be fine," Carol said stoutly.

"And what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Will I be fine? Am I gonna come out of this thing alive too or are you gonna throw me under the skin covered bus if we get in a tight spot?"

"I told you if you helped me I'd do right by you. You'll just have to trust me."

"Well if I don't make it back, I'm gonna be real disappointed. I ain't never gonna finish my book and find out if Jack Ryan stops the bomb at the Super Bowl. My garden will surely go to hell. And on top of that, you got me to come out here without even _considering_ given' me a quick shag. This little trip of ours will be a total bust if I don't make it out alive."

"You'll be fine. When we get there I'll give you the knife back...maybe even a gun. Once I know you'll be using your weapon on them and not me, I'll arm you. You'll protect yourself or you won't."

"Alright, alright. I guess if you were gonna do somethin' to me, you would have done it by now."

Carol looked over at Negan with an icy stare. "If I were going to do something to you, I would have done it seven years ago."

They continued to walk in the quiet for a few minutes before Negan grew impatient with the lull and started the conversation again."I just gotta say something for the record."

"What?" Carol answered curtly.

"Well I don't want to be the sleazy jerk at the bar who can't take no for an answer – nobody wants to be _that_ guy - but I just want to make sure you know that the shag is a standing offer."

As much as Carol was trying to keep her hard-nosed composure, she snorted then laughed openly. "Not interested," she replied to Negan, with both a serious look and a carefree smile.

"Well my momma always told me it never hurts to ask."

"It's hard to picture you with a mother," Carol said continuing to smile.

"Well I did."

"Okay, you had a mother...did you have kids?"

"Nah. My wife and I always wanted to but I suppose time got away from us. Then she died and that pretty much settled that."

"I'm sorry," Carol replied sincerely.

"I don't think we would have ever actually bit the bullet and had a pup. My wife always accused me of bein' too much of a kid myself. She was probably right about that." Negan stared ahead at Henry then turned to Carol again. "So you were married before the end too...to someone besides the king, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well now I've seen King Ezekiel," Negan replied smiling. "He's about five shades darker than young whitey up there. I can only assume you had Henry before all this...I assume it was with your first husband."

Carol debated with herself how much she wanted to share with this man. She'd spent so much of her life lying, faking, pretending she was someone she wasn't. But there was something about Negan that saw through her fabricated walls. It drew her in. She could tell him she didn't want to talk about it but she didn't want to lie to him.

"Yeah I was married before."

"And?" Negan asked.

"He died in the beginning like your wife and a billion other people," she replied coldly.

"Doesn't sound like there was much love lost there."

"There wasn't."

"Well hot damn, the plot thickens!" Negan said clapping his hand to his thigh. "What'd he do? Did the son of a bitch cheat on you? All men are cheaters, you know."

"Ed didn't cheat."

"Sure, okay. Well what did he do then?"

"He beat me," Carol replied nonchalantly as she looked Negan in the eyes.

"Bullshit...no way!" Negan replied with genuine shock. "How did that happen to a cold-blooded killer like you?"

"I was a different person before. Wasn't everyone? This world does things to you. If you survive, it will change you. It was no different for me."

"Well what the hell happened to you to turn you from an abused housewife to the warrior you are now?"

Carol stared ahead as Negan's words echoed in her head. What the hell _had_ happened to her? Her mind played back the highlight reel of the last ten years. A heavy sigh spilled from her mouth as she contemplated all that had transpired over the last decade. All she had done to stay alive and protect those around her. All she hadn't done in the beginning to protect Sophia and others.

"Look, I don't want to talk about any of this anymore."

"Sure I understand."

Once again, they walked in silence for several minutes when Negan looked over at Carol. "I'm gonna step over to those bushes right there for a minute so I can drain the ol' snake, sound good Your Majesty?"

"Just hurry up."

Negan stood by a row of bushes and whistled happily as he relieved himself.

"Quit making all that noise," Carol barked towards him. Negan zipped up his pants with one last chirpy whistle and quickly returned to her side. Carol looked over at him with annoyance. "Are you ever quiet?"

"Only when I'm sleepin' alone, Darlin'."

"If you keep making all that noise, you're going to draw attention from someone – dead or alive."

"I'd prefer a straight on fight," Negan replied arrogantly.

"Haven't you ever heard of the element of surprise?"

Negan chuckled. "Yeah, I've heard of it. It's for cowards that aren't confident in their abilities."

Carol looked over at him as she shook her head. "You're so full of shit."

"Look, I just don't like sneakin' around. Waltzing right up to the front door and letting people know exactly what I want, that's more my style."

"Maybe that's why my people beat you a few years back," Carol retorted in a snarky voice.

"Your people beat me because I had traitors on my team."

"Hmm I can't imagine why."

"Look, all I'm sayin' is that if you ain't a fraidy cat prick, then you charge in through the front, not weasle around through the back. This sneakin' around shit's got me feelin' like..." Negan clicked his tongue and looked off coyly.

"Like what?" Carol asked.

Negan drew his head back and smiled. "Nothin', it ain't important."

"That never stopped you from talking before."

Negan chuckled quietly as he cocked his head. "Fair play."

"I thought you loved the sound of your own voice," Carol said, continuing to egg him on.

"It's sounding more and more like _you're_ the one who likes the sound of my voice. Maybe I'm starting to grow on you."

"Don't flatter yourself," Carol snapped back. "Just a few minutes ago you were asking me all sorts of things about myself but you clam right up when I ask you."

"You didn't have to tell me anything you didn't choose to tell me."

"That's not exactly true," Carol argued. "You made it perfectly clear to me last night, that if I didn't tell you what you wanted, you weren't going to help me."

"Still a choice."

"Fine don't tell me. I don't care." Carol slowed her pace. She didn't want to walk or talk with Negan any longer. His cocky demeanor and phony charm mentally exhausted her. She let him move ahead so she could still keep a close eye on him without being near him. She regretted trying to have normal conversations with him. His charm and outgoing personality made her forget who she was dealing with: a narcissistic and demented killer.

Negan slowed down his pace too, waiting for her to catch up. "Hey I'm sorry."

Carol rolled her eyes in exasperation. "For what?"

"For not showing you the same courtesy and trust that you've shown me."

"I told you not to flatter yourself. We're not friends. You don't owe me an explanation and you certainly don't owe me your life story. You're out here to help me. That's it."

"I cheated on her," Negan blurted out. "I cheated on my wife. And sneakin' around quietly like we are now, it just reminded me of that. Reminded me of all my sneakin' around. Reminded me of the fact that I cheated on my wife."

Carol scoffed. "What a surprise. A killer that also cheated on his wife."

"She didn't deserve it. I loved her."

"Yeah sure you did," Carol said looking at him with contempt. "You loved her so much that you cheated on her. Men are so full of bullshit excuses. At least Ed didn't make excuses for his bad behavior. He was a vicious asshole but he never pretended to be anything different."

"Oh I won't deny that I'm an asshole. I am," Negan confessed. "My wife, she was beautiful. Pretty blonde hair, long tan legs and a real sweetheart too."

"How lucky for her that she found a prince like you," Carol said dryly.

"No I was the lucky one," Negan replied sincerely, not picking up on Carol's sarcasm. "God I loved her."

"Well then why the hell did you cheat on her?"

Negan stared at the ground as his pace slowed. "She didn't die like everyone else. She got sick – cancer. She got cancer and she lost her pretty blonde hair and she lost a bunch of weight and could barely make it to the toilet. I told myself that even if she could make love with me, she wouldn't want to. I told myself that if she never found out, then it would never hurt her. I told myself that if she ever _did_ find out, she'd understand that I had needs."

"Well did she?"

"Did she find out? No. She never did."

"How nice for you. You got away with it," Carol replied in a bitter saccharin tone. "You cheated on your sick wife and she never found out. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?"

"No," Negan replied succinctly.

"No what?" Carol snapped back.

"It was my biggest regret. Cheating on her was bad enough but hiding it from her...sneaking around..." Negan shook his head. "She _did _think I was a prince. She thought I was devoted and she'd thank me all the time for the sacrifices I made. She was so in love with me and so grateful for me and I..."

"You had her fooled. You had the wool completely pulled over her eyes, didn't you?"

"I did," Negan replied shaking his head as he choked back his emotions. "I loved being there for her and taking care of her. It was an honor because she deserved it. I cheated on her and I knew if she found out it would break her heart so I hid it. I was a coward. I was ashamed of cheating but I was even more ashamed of all the lying and sneaking around. It was my biggest regret."

Carol stopped in her tracks and turned to Negan angrily. "You feel worse about stepping out on your sick wife than you do about killing my friends? You regret sneaking around on her more than bashing their heads in?"

"I knew my wife. I loved her. I didn't know your friends. Sorry to say but they didn't mean any more to me than the walkers did."

Carol stared at Negan with horror and disgust. She felt sick to her stomach as she looked at his face. She peered into what looked like empty eyes before she drew her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could. Negan looked back at her with surprise as he placed his hand on his cheek.

Carol pulled her gun out of her holster and pointed it squarely at Negan's chest. "Why did I bring you out here?"

Negan raised his hands in surrender. "You brought me out here because you knew I could help you. I _will_ help you."

"You can't help me. You can't help anyone, not even yourself. You're nothing but a pathetic worm. You're a coward...you said it yourself. You're a cheater and a killer and you make me sick. Shame on me for thinking there was even an ounce of decency left in you. I should just kill you right here and now. No one would mourn you. No one would even miss you. I would be doing everyone a favor if I just ended your miserable life."

Negan continued to hold his hands up as he leaned in towards her. "I mean, I thought we were gettin' to be friends but if that's what you gotta do, then I ain't gonna stop you."

Carol watched as Henry and Lydia hurried back to her side. "Mom, what are you doing?" Henry asked.

"I'm going to kill him. We can't trust him. "

""No we need him," Lydia stated. "My mom has a lot of people – people willing to die for her. We need him to fight."

"We don't need him," Carol replied. "He doesn't care about us. He's just going to do what's best for him."

Negan looked Carol in the eyes and shook his head slowly. "I said I would help you and I meant it. I also said that I'm a straight shooter. I ain't gonna tell you one thing and do another. You told me to trust you," Negan replied, earnestly defending himself. "Well you gotta trust me too, Carol."

Carol watched Negan carefully. The sincerity in his voice and in his eyes were compelling. She wanted to trust him...she _needed _to trust him. As strong as she was, she knew that they stood a much better chance of getting Connie back and taking down The Whisperers if they had him as an ally. But she kept her gun pointed at him, still feeling conflicted.

The tense moment was interrupted by a the slightest sound of a cracking twig. Everyone's eyes immediately shot towards the noise. The foursome watched as Daryl and Michonne emerged from a cluster of trees.

"Get out of the way," Daryl ordered Carol and the teens.

Carol kept her gun raised towards Negan as Daryl crept towards them.

"Carol," Daryl barked. "Get away from him. Now!"

Carol lowered her gun and moved her body to the right, standing slightly in front of a completely silent Negan. His eyes darted back and forth between Carol and Daryl like a helpless kid watching his parents fighting. "Daryl, put your crossbow down," Carol instructed her friend.

"What the hell you talkin' about?" he asked.

"Lower your crossbow now, Daryl," she said again.

"Nuh uh. I'm gonna kill this son of a bitch. Now move outta the way."

Carol moved her body even closer in front of Negan's, resolved in her position. "You are not killing him."

"Why the hell not? He busted outta his cell. He's a killer and now he's out here alone with you. Do I even gotta remind you who he is and what he's done?"

"Right now it doesn't matter what he's done. Right now he's out here helping me. And _I_ was the one who busted him out and brought him out here."

"I don't care," Daryl replied coldly.

"You want to find Connie don't you?" Carol argued. "You think killing him is going to help you do that? I brought him out here to help me. He's strong. He's a fighter. He'll help us get her back."

"_I'll_ get Connie back. I don't need his help."

"Daryl, we'll get further with him. I trust him."

Michonne finally moved in to address the situation. "Carol, when we walked up to you, you had your gun pointed at Negan. Why?" Carol shook her head. "If we can trust him, then tell us why you had your gun pointed at him."

"Because I...because," Carol shook her head. She looked over at Negan then back at her friends. "Because I was thinking about the past. We were talking about it and all the dirt just got stirred up again and I got angry. But since he came out here with me, he's proven himself to me. He's helped me and been honest with me and he's trusted me. And you can't kill him. You can't because I made him a promise that if he helped me then I'd help him. He's held up his end and I'm going to hold up mine. Okay?"

Daryl finally lowered his crossbow and walked closer to Carol. "I ain't never gonna trust him, got that?" he stated as he stared daggers at Negan. He looked back at Carol. "But if you say it's the right thing to do, I'll trust you."

**A/N:** Can I just say that Negan is my new favorite person to write? He has so many crazy shades to work with and I adore him with Carol. The two of them are fun together but then also really intense. I hope maybe we can see them share some scenes on the show. Tell me if you agree. Okay then. Love to you all and God bless, friends!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Blood Brothers**

The group of six crept quietly through the woods. It was beginning to get dark but they were almost to the Whisperer camp.

Carol and Michonne trailed behind with the teenagers while Daryl and Negan walked up ahead of them. Daryl didn't want Negan near his friends. He kept his crossbow raised and his eyes focused on his foe.

Daryl suddenly stopped. He hunched over and begin coughing violently. He let his crossbow slide down his right arm while he wiped spittle from his chin with his left hand.

"You alright there, pal?" Negan said, turning around and moving closer to Daryl.

Daryl immediately lifted his weapon towards Negan again. "Keep your distance," he growled.

"It's alright," Negan replied putting his hands up and smiling. "I know that cough ain't contagious. It's sweet that you're worried about me though."

"Keep movin, asshole," Daryl ordered him as he stood up straight and motioned for Negan to start walking again. "I ain't got even an ounce of patience for your bullshit and jokes."

"I wasn't trying to make a joke. I was simply stating that I know you're not sick - you're injured."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl replied. "And how the hell you know that?"

"Lucky guess," Negan said, cocking his head. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Daryl stared at Negan with loathing. "I ain't got nothin' to say to you."

"You had a blood transfusion a few days ago didn't you?"

"Yeah I did," Daryl said with a grunt. "What the hell do you care?"

Negan widened his mouth in a toothy grin. "Well now I know all your communities are pretty state-of-the-art and advanced, all things considered, but there's one thing you don't have."

"And what's that?"

"A blood bank."

"Yeah so what?"

"Well now good ol' Negan is good for more than gardening and witty conversation, you know," he replied excitedly.

"You gonna make a point anytime soon?"

"The point I'm tryin' to make is that _I'm _Alexandria's blood bank! I'm the guy who gave you that transfusion, genius. You got three juicy pints of top-of-the-line Negan pumpin' through your redneck veins!"

Daryl slowed his pace momentarily. He was genuinely shocked by what he'd just been told. He had a part of Negan inside of him and it was a surreal and uncomfortable feeling. He knew Negan was telling him this information so that he would have an appreciation or deeper trust for him but it was having the opposite effect.

Daryl didn't want Negan to know just how uneasy this revelation made him feel. He tried his best to play his discomfort off cooly. "Congratulations. I guess that makes you slightly more useful than I thought you were 30 seconds ago."

"Is it just me or am I sensing some sarcasm or maybe even some animosity," Negan said as he smirked.

"What the hell you want from me?"

"Well shit, how about 'thank you'?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me. Anyone could have given me blood but you want a 'thank you'?" Daryl was beginning to grow angry with Negan's audacity.

"You're mistaken," Negan replied coyly.

"About what?"

"Not anyone could have given you blood. Doc didn't know your blood type. You know what happens if you give someone the wrong kind of blood? It could kill 'em, especially if they're in the kind of shape you were in. And let me tell ya, you were in pretty bad shape a few days ago. Man I've taken' shits that looked better than you did!" Negan laughed.

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut?"

"All I'm sayin' is that I'm like a damn unicorn in Alexandria. I'm O negative. Know what that means?" Negan looked back at Daryl expectantly but Daryl said nothing. "It means that I'm a universal blood donor and if it weren't for me and my unicorn blood, you'd probably be dead. It's like we're _blood_ brothers, Daryl! I was literally your _savior_," Negan said then chuckled to himself.

Daryl was exasperated with Negan and the entire conversation. He just wanted him to shut up so he could concentrate on the mission. "Fine," he said , looking Negan in the eyes, "thanks for the blood. Now shut the hell up."

"Message received," Negan replied simply. They continued to walk but it wasn't more than a few seconds before Negan opened his mouth again. "Can I ask you a question."

"Nah," Daryl mumbled.

"No jokes, no fluff, I got a serious question?"

"What?"

"You got a plan?"

Daryl didn't answer. He didn't have a plan. He was a valiant and strong fighter but he was no strategist. All he knew for sure that he was getting Connie back and killing anyone who got in the way of that. But if he knew anything about Carol and Michonne it was that they would have a plan. They wouldn't have come this far if they didn't.

Daryl ignored Negan's question and turned around to speak to the others instead. "Hey, this looks like a good spot to take a break before we get there."

They all stopped walking. Daryl watched everyone carefully. Henry and Lydia sat down on a log and shared some berries and granola with each other while Michonne snuck off behind some bushes, presumably to use the bathroom.

Daryl carefully studied Carol as she approached Negan. She pulled her canteen from around her shoulder and took a sip before handing it to Negan. Daryl was revolted as he watched Negan put his mouth on Carol's canteen. He took a swig then handed it back to her. He could see Negan's sleazy, grinning mouth move as he talked to Carol but couldn't make out what he was saying. It didn't matter though.

Daryl hated seeing the man that killed his friends, that close to his _best_ friend. His blood boiled as he watched the man that kept him prisoner and fed him dog food, now free and out in the open. Watching Carol and Negan share water and conversation made him feel sick. He was about to protectively move in between them when Carol left his side and walked towards Daryl.

"So how are you holding up?" Carol asked.

"I'm fine," Daryl replied curtly.

"Are you sure? You look pale," she said moving her hand to Daryl's face. She touched his cheek, then his forehead with the back of her hand. "You feel warm...a little clammy too."

"I said I'm fine."

"Well did you bring enough water? Any pain meds?"

"No pain meds, just my antibiotics and yeah, I got plenty of water," Daryl answered as he kept his eyes fixed on Negan. "You wanna tell me what the hell you're doing out here with him?"

Carol sighed. She'd been waiting for Daryl to ask her that question. "I needed help," she said as she shrugged casually. "No one else was willing to help me but I thought he might be. Turns out I was right."

"He says he'll help but he's just gonna look out for himself."

"He's already proved himself useful to me with the walkers. And he hasn't given me any trouble. I trust him."

"So you just go behind everyone's back, bust him out of his cell and come out here with him? Are you crazy?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"You ain't safe with him. He could have killed you. That's what he does...he's a killer!"

"_I'm_ a killer."

"You ain't the same as him."

"What does that matter? I can take care of myself. Besides," Carol said looking over at Negan, "he wouldn't hurt me."

"That's a load of shit. You think we can trust him but we can't."

"I never said _we_ can trust him, I said _I _can trust him."

"What does that mean?"

Carol pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "He likes me."

"He _likes_ you?"

"He's enamored with me...like a crush or something."

Daryl scoffed. "Oh he wants to sleep with you so that means you can trust him?"

"It's not just that...it goes beyond that. He respects me, like he has me on some kind of pedestal. As long as I'm dealing with him, we'll be fine."

"I can't believe you brought him out here."

"Well you know what? I can't believe you're out here at _all_. You promised me you would stay put. You think it's dangerous me being out here with Negan but it's more dangerous for you to be out here at all."

"I couldn't do it. I'm sorry but I couldn't just sit on my ass when you're out here with him and with Connie..." Daryl shook his head. He couldn't finish. He looked away as he thought about Connie. He didn't even know if she was alive. And even if she was alive, she was in danger. He was filled with anxiety and his anger swelled as he pictured the masked men grabbing her and pulling her away from him just days ago.

Ultimately Negan didn't matter to him. He payed no mind to his broken body or own well-being either. He hadn't seen Dog since the day he'd been shot. But none of those things were his priority.

Daryl's heart was completely with Connie...his mind too. Every part of him was dominated by the need to get her back. His suspicions about love were right. If he surrendered to his feelings for her, he risked being consumed by those very feelings. He was right.

But he was past all that. He had already crossed over that line and he could never turn back. Never. Once the decision to love Connie was made, he had become helpless to the power it had over him. Daryl loved her beyond what he thought was possible. He ached for her. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the pain of not knowing she was safe. He needed to know she would be okay. He needed _her_.

"I know I said I'd stay and I tried but I just couldn't do nothing. That's not in me and you know me well enough to get that."

Carol placed her hand on Daryl's arm. "I do get it. You have to be out here. It was silly of me to think you might just listen to me and stay put."

Michonne, Henry and Lydia walked up to Daryl and Carol's side. "How far do you think we are we from their camp?" Michonne asked in a whisper.

"Probably about a mile," Daryl replied.

"If we're that close, we could run into them at any time. What are we doing if we encounter any of them?" Carol asked Michonne.

"We have zip ties. If they completely surrender, we let them. Anything less than that, we take them down," Michonne replied concisely. The others nodded.

"But what are we doing once we get there? Do we even have a plan?" Henry asked.

"When we left, Aaron and Rosita were putting together an offensive with Ezekiel, the Hilltop Council and Cyndie and her people from Oceanside," Michonne stated.

"Well when are they gonna be here?" Carol asked.

"I have no idea," Michonne answered as she shook her head dubiously. "They were barely in the planning stages when we left. It could be a few hours or a few days. And the walkies are out of range so I have no way of asking for their ETA."

Daryl stuck his chest out as he spoke. "I ain't waitin' for the cavalry to show up. Connie's already been there long enough."

"Okay so how do we get to her?" Carol asked.

"Connie and me took a few down and stole their clothes and masks. That's how we got Henry and Lydia back last time. It'll work again."

Lydia shook her head. "That'll work to get a couple of us in but not all six of us. They're not stupid."

"And we'd have to come across a few of them alone and away from the others to do that," Carol said.

"I hope those aren't your best ideas," Negan exclaimed from a few feet away.

"Nobody asked you!" Daryl barked.

"I gotta few brilliant ideas up my sleeve, but suit yourself," Negan replied casually.

"Let me guess," Daryl said, "you'll go in there with us arm to arm, ready to fight, until you see your chance to stab us in the back, right?"

"Now Daryl," Negan said smiling, "why would I save your life just to get you killed?"

"Cause that's the kind of sadistic prick you are!"

Negan moved closer to the others. Daryl raised his crossbow and held Negan in his sights. "Back the hell up."

Carol moved in between the two men and spoke. "Put that down!" she ordered her friend. "We're not doing this again Daryl. Just listen to what he has to say."

Daryl lowered his crossbow and stared at Negan. "What? What's your brilliant idea?"

Negan grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

…..

**A/N:** Hi everybody! Hope you enjoyed this last chapter! Please drop a comment and let me know what you think. Have a fantastic weekend and God bless you all!


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Omega**

Connie sat on a small stool just outside a tent as she gave the final lesson of the day to several people.

Alpha had Connie giving lessons around the clock each day to her followers. She had Connie make flashcards for particular words she wanted her followers to learn. As each card was shown, Connie signed the corresponding word to them for them to learn. Nearly half the camp had learned dozens of words already: me, you, them, us, quiet, sleep, eat, water, deer, tree, walk, run, attack, fall back, up, down, left, right, just to name a few.

It was her fourth day at the Whisperer camp and she was beginning to become accustomed to the routine. It felt so bizarre to Connie that her life here was becoming normal to her.

She got up early every morning like everyone else. They all shared a meal together around the campfires and tents. It was usually just meat - a fresh kill hunted the day before. After that it was time for everyone's daily chores. The men worked around camp or went off to hunt while the women stayed back to cook, clean and care for the children. It amazed Connie how content everyone appeared to be with the regression.

Another group was always assigned to watch over the herd. They took shifts in groups of ten making sure the mass of walkers was under control and away from the camp.

As Connie finished her last lesson of the day, she stared across the camp at Alpha.

Connie hated that she lived in a world where Alpha was alive, and her baby sister wasn't. She hated Alpha. It took everything within her to keep from killing the witch. She could do it. It wouldn't even be that hard. She slept in the same tent as Alpha. She didn't have an actual weapon but ever since the night the men attacked her, she slept with a small but jagged rock under her sleeping bag. Killing the leader was no problem but getting away with it would be. If Connie was caught, she'd be killed. And she refused to let her hatred jeopardize her future with Daryl.

All day every day Connie would watch for him. Over and over she'd scan the outskirts of the camp's perimeter to see if he was there. There was a lot she didn't know about Daryl Dixon but she did know that if he was alive, he would come for her. But _was_ he alive? She hoped for it but as each day passed, that hope grew thinner. Connie couldn't wait for a rescue much longer. She couldn't stay among the people who murdered her sister. She would rather be dead than live like an animal with these monsters.

Tonight Connie would make her move. She would wait for Alpha to go to sleep. As soon as she was, she would smash the rock into her head until she was sure she was dead. Then she'd run. Hopefully she'd make it out of the camp alive. As much as she wanted Daryl and her friends to save her, she couldn't wait for it anymore. Connie was going to save herself.

…..

"Don't worry about anything," Negan said confidently to Lydia as they walked through the woods alone. "You just let me do all the talkin' and I promise everything is gonna turn out alright."

"Alright," Lydia scoffed. "I'm not scared though. Did you forget that this is where I grew up? These are my people – my family."

"Well I've seen my share of screwed up families and I gotta say none of 'em ever did some of the crazy shit your people have been doin'."

"I'm still not scared. Everyone alive has done some kind of crazy shit to stay alive. My people aren't any different."

Negan stopped walking and looked over at the teenage girl. "Now wait a damn second. You wanna tell me whose side you're on exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just got through sayin' 'my people' and before that you said 'my family'. I'm thinkin' that if you're still lookin' at them like they're your people – your family, then you're gonna have an awful hard time goin' through with this plan."

"I'm not loyal to them, if that's what you mean. I'm loyal to Alexandria. I'm loyal to the other communities." Lydia shook her head in confusion before looking back at Negan. "I'm sorry if I can't just stop looking at them as my family. Whether they're good people or bad people they're still my family. I was with them for almost ten years."

"Well when we get down there and you're caught in the middle, I gotta know that you're not gonna get scared and run back to mommy."

Lydia stared at the ground as she spoke softly. "Do you have any idea what she's done to me? The things she _let _happen to me?"

"Look kid, I get it. She ain't the kind of mom that baked cookies and sang you to sleep. She's a freak. But I know how these situations get. You puff out your chest and get all riled up and ya think you're gonna walk right up to her and be ready to put a knife in her back but then she sees you, you see her and ya both get all mushy and all the sudden, you're in the middle of a damn Hallmark movie."

"What's that?" Lydia asked.

"What's what?"

"A Hallmark movie? What is that?" Lydia asked.

Negan chuckled and looked off. "Shit kid, how old are you?"

"Seventeen." Lydia looked at the ground with embarrassment. "I mean, I think I'm seventeen."

"It's just a stupid kind of movie where everyone gets what they want. It's all sunshine and rainbows and everyone's in love. My wife used to watch 'em all the time."

"Oh," Lydia replied. "I've never heard of that kind of movie. I saw a couple movies when I was little but I only remember one."

"Oh yeah? Which one?"

"I can't remember the name but it was about this house that was tied to like thousands and thousands of balloons and this kid and this old guy floated away to an island or something."

"Hmm, never saw that one I guess."

Negan's smile faded as he studied the young girl. One look at her and you could tell she'd been through terrible things – maybe even worse things than the average person lucky enough to still be alive. Her innocent, doe-eyed face had a perpetual look of panic and apprehension. She was vigilant and watchful of her surroundings as her eyes constantly moved in every direction. Negan felt bad for her.

Negan looked at her as he spoke sympathetically. "Like I said before, you just let me do the talking. I'll take care of things."

"Why because you think I'm weak? You think I'll go running back to my mommy?" Lydia replied. "You know, my mother just used me. She let _other_ people use me. She used to call me 'Omega'. She hasn't called me Lydia since I was ten. You know what Omega means? It means the last one. It's the lowest in the pack. The one that everyone else beats up on...the one that everyone treats like shit. She said if I didn't like it then I would have to pull myself up in the pack. She told me that when I was ten."

"Hey I didn't mean nothin'..."

"She used me any way she could...everyone did. And I know what's happening here. I'm not stupid. All of you, you're just using me too. You're using me to get to her. And hey, that's fine. Like I said, I'm used to it."

"Join the club kiddo. I told them it's better for me to talk to your people because they don't know me. They all agreed but it wasn't because they liked my idea so much. I'm out here with you because no one's gonna lose any sleep if I don't come back. You're useful and I'm expendable. We're all just pieces on the chess board doin' our part. Like I said before, I just wanna know whose side _you're_ playin' on."

"I already told you. I'll do what I have to do. I know you think I can't do this but I can. As long as I'm not the one who has to pull the trigger, I can do it."

Negan shook his head dubiously. "If you say so."

"I'm scared as hell of my mother but guess what? I'm not weak. I'll play my part in this because I know at the end of it I'll have what I want."

"And what's that? What do you want?" Negan asked with genuine curiosity.

"I just...I just want a normal life. I mean, whatever that is." Lydia shook her head, "I think I've gotten a taste of it over the last few weeks. Clean clothes and eating around a table with people that don't want to just use me or hurt me...people that maybe even care about me. A life with Henry. Maybe we can love each other the way people are supposed to and have kids." Lydia peered up at Negan through her long brown hair. "Does that sound stupid? I mean, is that even what a normal life is?" she asked innocently.

Negan nodded his head slowly. "Sure kid. Sounds like a normal life to me. And no, I don't think it sounds stupid at all."

Lydia continued to walk with Negan close behind her. They moved swiftly to the Whisperer camp and stopped. They both studied the camp from behind a row of thick bushes. Negan looked over at her. "So you're really ready to do this then?"

Lydia took a deep breath in through her nose then blew it out through her mouth. "I'm ready."

Negan walked straight up to a group of Whisperers standing around a fire. He raised his hands in the air with Lydia by his side. "Good evening folks!" he said in a booming voice. Every set of eyes within fifty feet immediately turned towards the tall man with the loud voice.

In a matter of seconds, at least a dozen of the Whisperers had Negan and Lydia surrounded.

"Who are you?" a woman asked as she pointed her bow and arrow at him.

"My name is Negan. I come baring gifts!" he said with a grin. "You see this girl? Pretty sure you all know who she is, right?"

A large man with a long beard moved in close to Negan and Lydia. "We all know who she is. She's the Omega. She's of no value to Alpha or any of the rest of us."

Negan cocked his head as he stared at the man. "Well aren't you a big fella. What's your name?"

The man looked soberly at him and said nothing.

"His name is Beta," Lydia said.

"Beta?" Negan said smiling at the man towering over him. "Beta like those purple fish?"

Beta curled his fingers into his palms forming fists at his sides. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

"Easy there, big guy. I came a long way to bring this girl to her mamma and I'd appreciate a little appreciation."

"She's a deserter. Alpha doesn't want her."

"She didn't desert. She was taken. Those vicious animals you're at war with, they kidnapped her. They tossed her in a cell and haven't been feeding her proper. They beat and tortured her to try and get info from her. I broke her out and saved her. I brought her here because she says you people are her people and she belongs with you. I think Alpha is going to want to know all that don't you?" Beta stood still and said nothing. Negan spoke again, trying his best to convince him. "Besides all that, she's got some pretty juicy info on our common enemy...we both do."

"What information does she have?" the Beta asked.

"I'm afraid that's above your pay grade, Big Guy. We ain't tellin' you shit," Negan stated as he leaned in. "Now go get the boss lady and we'll tell her."

"Tell me why I shouldn't just rip your head off your neck right now."

"Well you could do that but then I wouldn't be able to give you all the details about the attack they're planning."

Beta stood at attention. "What attack?"

"The girl wants to see her mother," Negan stated. "Now go get her."

Beta finally walked away. He approached Alpha's tent and went inside.

"What is it?" Alpha asked as she reclined on top of a sleeping bag.

"It's Lydia...she's here."

Alpha immediately sat up. "She's here?"

"Yes. She's here with a man. He said he broke her out of the prison in Alexandria."

Alpha stood quickly and began to exit the tent. Beta moved in front of her, blocking her exit. "Don't go out there," Beta said.

"Move away," Alpha ordered him.

"It's a trap," Beta stated simply.

Alpha looked up into his eyes as they peered back at her from behind his gruesome mask. "You think my own flesh would betray me?"

"You betrayed her. Why wouldn't she do the same thing to you?"

"I carried her inside of my own body and you tell me that she is here to turn on her own mother?"

"You are not her mother. You are the Alpha."

Alpha raised her hand and slapped Beta with all her strength. "Not another word from you, pig! Your tongue has become too big for your mouth. Watch what you say or I'll cut it out." Alpha paced back and forth inside the tent, unnerved by the news of her daughter's return and the disagreement with her second in command.

"You do not know what it is like to create something inside of you...to feel it grow and move under your skin. You tell me I'm not her mother and say that she is her to betray me, but you are the real betrayer because you think you know better than me and want to fill my head with lies. Bring Lydia to me now!"

Beta lowered his head in submission. He stepped out of the tent and walked to Lydia and Negan, then instructed them to follow him back. When Alpha saw her daughter, she opened her arms, welcoming Lydia into her embrace.

Tears ran down Lydia's eyes as she ran to her mother. She fell into her arms and held onto her tightly. "What are you doing here?" Alpha asked.

"I...I wanted to see you. This is Negan. He broke me out."

Negan stood a few feet away. Alpha glanced over at him suspiciously as he approached her. "Well hello there!" Negan said in a jovial sing-song tone that had never been more out of place then it was in this moment. "Like your lovely daughter said, I'm Negan. I'm very pleased to meet you and your whisper friends."

Alpha stared at him with indignation. "You helped my daughter escape and brought her back to me?"

"Yes ma'am. That is correct," he replied with a smile. "This is a real nice camp you got here...real nice. And I gotta say you and your people are killin' it with the dead, no pun intended. I mean everyone still alive has splashed some gnarly guts and shit on themselves as a zombie disguise but what you got goin' on with these masks is some next-level shit! I'm real impressed."

"For bringing my daughter back to me, you will be rewarded. However, this is a place where we value quiet. So unless you are spoken to, please keep your mouth closed." Alpha looked away from Negan, turning her attention back to her daughter.

"So you were _taken_ by the people in Alexandria? Is that the truth?" Lydia nodded. "Are you sure you didn't go to them of your own accord because you were hypnotized by their worldly ways."

"No, I swear, they took me," Lydia cried. "I've been looking for a way to escape but I couldn't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I got taken by them again."

"Shhh," Alpha soothed her as she ran her fingers through her hair. "There, there. Now you know who they are and where you belong. You're home now."

"I'm weak. I have no other excuse for being taken by them. Please forgive me Alpha."

Alpha took Lydia's face into her hands and looked into her tear-stained, blue eyes. "I am your mother. You are my daughter. You're home now and I will never let anyone take you from me again."

"Mama!" Lydia cried, sinking inside Alpha's arms.

Alpha closed her eyes as she held onto Lydia. Every time she had thought of her girl, she created more and more distance. It was easier to pretend she hated her daughter than to mourn the loss of someone she cared for. Alpha had said over and over that Lydia was weak. But the truth was, as she embraced her child, it became apparent how much she needed her...how much it pained her to know that her daughter was with the enemy. As much as she tried to treat her own flesh as just another in the pack, she didn't want to anymore. She loved her.

Alpha's eyes suddenly shot open. She pulled Lydia away from her chest and stared into her face. As she peered into her eyes she understood what was happening.

Beta was right. Lydia did mean to betray her, even if it was just by making Alpha care about her. The cold-blooded leader was momentarily blinded by her feelings. She had become every bit as weak as her daughter. Lydia _made _her weak. Tears fell from Alpha's eyes as she held onto her daughter by the shoulders. "What are you really doing here?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked in confusion.

"Beta tells me that this is a trap. He thinks you and this loud man are trying to set us up. Is that true?"

"No! Of course not! I...I wanted to see you."

"You wanted to see me one last time before you betrayed me to your new people?"

"Miss Alpha," Negan interrupted. "We're not here for any other reason than to help you. I told the big guy that we have information about their plans. I know exactly where their troops are lined up and waiting to attack. I'll take you to them."

Alpha looked up at Negan. "We need nothing from you. I know what's happening. You and my daughter mean to mislead and deceive us. You owe me no allegiance. But my daughter on the other hand she has forgotten who gave this life to her."

"No that's not true. I love you mama and I just want to be here with you."

Negan studied Lydia. He truly didn't know if she was telling the truth or not. Was she playing her part in the game or was she falling under her mother's spell. Whatever it was, Negan could see that she was afraid.

"Hey," Negan said calmly, "let's all just take a deep breath and calm down. No one is trying to trick you. The poor girl just wanted to come home so I brought her home. It's that simple."

"It's alright," Alpha said placidly as she smiled at Negan, then at Lydia. "I understand now. Not only are you weak, but you have weakened me. And the Alpha must stay strong in order to lead the pack. The Alpha must remove anyone disloyal to the pack."

"Mama no! I swear...I'm not..." but before Lydia could say another word, Alpha pulled her knife from her belt and slid deeply across her throat.

Lydia fell to the ground. She held her hands to her neck trying desperately to stop the blood from pouring out. She gasped and choked before closing her eyes. Alpha stood over her daughter's dead body and spoke. "You are as you should be. Dead. Never to betray again. You are nothing to me. I'm the first and you are the last. I am the Alpha and you are the Omega."

…..

**A/N:** Hi everybody! I hope this latest chapter finds you well. Someone pointed out to me how much they miss Daryl and Connie together and the truth is, I really miss them together too! It's obvious within the story, that they're really longing to see each other also. I counted and this is the seventh chapter of them being apart. I admit, that's a long time and I'm sorry. I don't think I intended it to be that long but sometimes I go down a rabbit trail and I just _have_ to explore it a little. Fleshing out the Carol and Negan relationship is a perfect example of this. I didn't intend on taking that as far as it went but once I got a taste of them together, I wanted more. I hope you did too because that's what you got.

As a writer, it's difficult to craft a fiction that's true to the story I'm trying to tell but that also just feels good to read. I'm trying to do both and it's not always easy. The method I use to write my stories usually has me trying to figure things out as I go. I've said before that I don't really plan out my writing too much and so sometimes I'll paint myself, or actually the characters, into a corner and then I have to figure out how to get us all out of that corner. Maybe that's not how professionals write but for me it feels more organic and authentic to do things that way.

Real life isn't all planned out – it just happens! And most of the time, none of us know what's going to happen next so you just ride with it. It's hard not always being able to see around those corners but life might be pretty boring if we could.

Anyhow, I don't know if what's going on in my head from a writing perspective is interesting to anyone but here it is anyway. Bottom line is this: if you've read this far into Daryl and Connie's story, I'm hoping you'll be here til the very end. Even I don't know exactly how it's going to end but I promise I'll pour my heart into it. God bless friends!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Psycho Killers**

I can't seem to face up to the facts  
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax  
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire  
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer  
Qu'est-ce que c'est  
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better  
Run run run run run run run away oh oh  
Psycho Killer  
Qu'est-ce que c'est  
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better  
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, away oh oh oh  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah!

Negan's mouth hung open as he watched Lydia laying on the ground, the color quickly fading from her skin. "What the hell did you just do?"

Alpha moved her head from side to side as she spoke softly. "You saw what happened. Do not ask questions you already know the answer to."

"But...but...she's your _daughter_," Negan stammered, truly dumbfounded. He had pictured a number of scenarios but none of them ended with Lydia being murdered by her mother. He had been at war but he'd never seen anyone do something like this. Negan completely lost sight of the mission as he verbally attacked Alpha. "What the hell kind of monster are you, to kill your own flesh and blood?"

Alpha wiped a tear from her eye as she looked from Negan to Lydia. "She'll be with me always now, never to betray me. She will come back and I tell you this: she will be stronger dead than she was alive."

"You are a psycho," Negan stated without hesitation. "I've done some violent and sadistic shit, but you lady, you're what my mama would call four pennies short of a nickel!"

"You think that I'm not of sound mind? You think I don't know what I'm doing?" Alpha bore her eyes into Negan's as she chanted. "We bathe in blood. We are free. We love no one. We are free. We fear nothing. We are free. This is the end of the world. _Now_ is the end of the world. _We_ are the end of the world."

Negan stared back wide-eyed in disbelief. "Is that shit you just said supposed to make me think you're _not_ batshit crazy? Cuz it didn't work."

Alpha slithered closer to Negan. "You, your people. _They_ are the ones that are not of sound mind. They can't see the world for what it is. They grasp at straws to live in the past. But _my_ people, we're at peace with life as it is now – death. We do not fight it. We embrace it."

Negan shook his head as he began to back out of the tent slowly. "Listen, I thought I wanted to be a part of this group but I just ain't sure anymore." He continued to talk as he walked backwards out in the open. "I think I'd like to just hit the road if it's all the same to you."

Alpha and Beta slowly followed him out of the tent. Alpha stared at him venomously. "Were you under the impression that you had a choice in matters? You're not going anywhere. And if you cannot prove yourself useful to me then you will join my horde the same way the Omega did."

"You want me to tell you about the other group? About what they're planning?" Negan replied, still backing up.

"Yes. You _will_ tell me all about them," Alpha stated. "Then I will decide what to do with you."

"Alright, alright, I will. Just please, don't kill me after I do."

"Tell me," Alpha ordered him as she continued to follow him.

"I'm afraid I got some shitty news for you," Negan said, then stopped in the middle of a clearing. He raised his hands in the air and smiled at Alpha as she stood out into the open. "That attack, it's comin' a lot sooner than you think."

Alpha opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, an arrow flew through the air behind Negan. The arrow landed in Alpha's face, tearing through her cheek and jaw. Negan watched in awe as she held her hand up to her face, trying to sop the blood up with her dirty sleeve.

"They're attacking!" Beta roared to all the others. "Get your weapons now!"

More arrows whizzed by and landed into the Whisperers followed by gunshots. Negan began to run for cover as he watched. He didn't get far before he was tackled from behind. Negan's face was planted in the dirt when he felt powerful arms flip him over. He was face to face with Beta.

Beta climbed on top of Negan, straddling him with his hefty legs. "This was you!" the giant growled as spit flew from his mouth and onto Negan's face. "You led them here to attack. That was yours and the girl's plan all along!"

Negan stared up into Beta's face and grinned. "Wow you're a regular Sherlock Holmes, piecin' that one together."

"Shut up!" Beta shouted as he took Negan's head between his hands and slammed it into the ground. He pulled his fist back and punched Negan in the side of the head again and again. Beta finally sat up straight and pulled two large Bowie knives out. He held them close to Negan's face as he spoke. "I'm going to make this hurt. Very soon you're going to wish you'd never laid eyes on me."

Beta slowly slid the knife into Negan's left shoulder. Negan screamed out in pain as the knife went in deeper and deeper. He could feel it coming out the other side of his body and pinning him to the ground. He swung his right arm and met the side of Beta's head with his fist. He pulled his fist back and did it again before Beta grabbed his arm and pushed it into the ground. "You're like a little boy the way you hit me. You think you can stop me from killing me? You can't." Beta showed Negan his other knife before moving it down to his abdomen. "Do you know how long it takes a man to bleed to death when he's stabbed in the stomach?"

"No why don't you fill me in, Frowny."

"I know just where to slide it in so that it'll take an entire day for you to die."

"Well that's if the dead don't get to me first."

"You think you're a funny man, don't you?" Beta said as he poked the tip of the knife into Negan's stomach.

"I guess I think I'm a little funny...especially since hangin' around you people." Beta pushed the knife in a little farther. Negan groaned in agony.

With one fluid motion, Beta slid the knife completely into his gut. Negan screamed out in pain as the giant twisted the sharp blade to the left and to the right. He pulled the knife out and blood spurted from Negan's side. "I don't think you're funny at all," Beta snorted, then stood up and walked away.

…..

Connie didn't hear any of the commotion outside as she moved over to Lydia's body. She knelt over her and searched the young girl for a weapon. She found one in her belt and pulled it out. She would stab her in the eye socket to keep her from coming back. She lifted the knife over Lydia's head and was just about to bring it down when Alpha barged into the tent.

"No!" Alpha shouted as she kicked Connie away from Lydia. "Don't touch her! She's for my horde!"

Connie looked back up at Alpha. Blood covered her face entirely. Alpha spoke to her but between the darkness and the mess of blood on her face, Connie couldn't understand a word she was saying. She watched as Alpha tore through a trunk in her tent. She pulled out a box and handed it to Connie. Connie opened the box and saw alcohol and gauze. Alpha laid on top of her sleeping bag waiting expectantly for Connie to bandage her up.

Connie unscrewed the cap from the top of the rubbing alcohol and lifted the bottle of over Alpha's face. She pushed Alpha's eyelids closed before she poured the liquid onto the gaping wound. Alpha writhed in pain but kept quiet. She kept her eyes closed so the blood and alcohol wouldn't run into them. She felt more alcohol pour onto her cheek and flinched in pain again. She then felt Connie place the gauze onto her wound.

Alpha's began to calm down and her breathing slowed. The immediate and agonizing pain was beginning to subside. She blinked a few times trying to slowly open her eyes. When she finally opened them completely, she looked up to see Connie kneeling over her with a sharp rock in her hands. Alpha reached down to find her knife in her belt but before she could even touch it, Connie slammed the rock's jagged point, squarely into her forehead.

Alpha closed her eyes. When she opened them again everything spun above her. She searched for the knife in her belt and finally found it. She pulled it out and swung it at Connie. Connie jumped back then quickly stood up. She walked back towards the disgusting woman and kicked her in the side.

Connie was about to kneel down again to finish Alpha off when she suddenly felt hands clawing at her from behind. She quickly spun around and found herself face to face with Lydia. Connie pushed Lydia's dead body away but the girl immediately attacked again. Connie wrestled with Lydia before finally maneuvering herself behind her. She placed her hands on both of Lydia's shoulders as she looked down at Alpha. Connie stared venomously at the sadistic leader trying to stand up. With one forceful thrust, Connie shoved Lydia down onto her mother. Lydia crashed down, pinning her mother to the floor. Alpha tried to fight off her daughter but it was no use. Connie watched in satisfaction as the girl sank her teeth into Alpha's face.

Connie stared at the violent massacre. She could see Alpha's mouth wide open and screaming in agony. Connie thought she would feel better watching her enemy suffer. She thought the act of revenge would give her some closure. She thought the world might make sense again if she was able to kill the monster that killed her sister. She was wrong though. It was just ugly...all of it.

Connie took one last look at at the horrifying scene before she turned and ran from the tent.

**A/N:** Well hello everyone! I hope this chapter finds all my readers doing well and staying strong and healthy. I don't know about you but it feels like life has been turned completely upside down.

This Coronavirus seemed like it was somewhat under control and moving slowly until things went from 0 to 60 in a matter of one week. Hospitals full while schools, churches, restaurants, theaters and everything in between, all closed down. I'd love to say that I'm not at all scared but for me, not worrying doesn't really go hand in hand with being a mama. I also have parents in their 80s and I'm trying not to be worried for them but that's easier said than done. There is so much uncertainty, and uncertainty is scary.

All that said, there are a few things I do know for sure. I know that God is in complete control. I know that He loves and cares for each of us. I know that He is calling each one of us into a relationship with Him or into a _deeper_ relationship with Him.

So that is my prayer for all of you. Of course I pray for health, safety and well-being for you, your families and your loved ones. But even more than that, I pray for you to KNOW JESUS CHRIST! To truly know His love, His peace, His goodness and His salvation.

Romans 10:9 tells us that, "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." And 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "Today is the day of salvation!" Not tomorrow...today! Because none of us know how many tomorrows we have.

I could right the best, most interesting, well-crafted stories, but none of that would matter if I didn't say something of far greater value: God loves you and is passionately pursuing you! The best thing any of us can do is to love and pursue Him in return.

If anyone has any questions or you need to talk, PLEASE, message me. I'm a minister and that means that God has put it on my heart to minister to the people He puts in my life. Take care of yourselves, wash your hands and seek the Lord Jesus, my friends! I love you all!

"Psycho Killers"  
Written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth  
Performed by Talking Heads

Alpha's "We are the end of the world" speech  
Written by Nicole Mirante-Matthews


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: I'll Be There

"We have to help him!" Carol shouted as she watched Beta move away from Negan's lifeless body. "He'll die otherwise and I promised him I wouldn't just..."

"Help Negan?" Michonne asked narrowing her eyes. "No Carol. He's already dead. We need to take more of them out from up here. The more we take out from up here, the less we have to fight off hand to hand when we go down to get Connie and Lydia back." Michonne looked away from Carol and took another shot.

"He held up his end and I'm going to hold up mine," Carol said as she stood from where she was shooting her bow.

"We're still outnumbered," Michonne argued, "outnumbered by a lot."

"My mom is right," Henry exclaimed. "Lydia's down there!"

"Connie too," Daryl stated adamantly. "And I ain't waitin' another second to go get her. We need to get to her and Lydia before they decide they're gonna try and use 'em as leverage."

Michonne looked up from her targets to Daryl. "It's still too dangerous."

"Well what the hell did we come out her for then?" Daryl barked at his friend.

"I was hoping that reinforcements would be here sooner than later," Michonne replied pragmatically.

"Look," Daryl stated, "you stay here with Henry and keep taking out who you can. Carol and me will go down by ourselves."

"Daryl, there's at least 80 of them down there," Michonne argued. I'm not interested in any of us going on any suicide missions."

"You ain't talkin' me out of it," Daryl stated, resolved in his position.

"Fine," Michonne replied in exasperation as she shook her head. "Are you still going to try and get masks?"

"It's the best way for us to be able to move through their camp," Carol said.

Michonne laid her rifle down and started to search through her pack. She pulled out two bandanas – a red one and a yellow one. "Tie these around your wrists so Henry and I know who not to shoot."

"Good call," Daryl replied as he grabbed the two pieces of cloth. He quickly tied one around Carol's wrist then handed her the other to tie around his.

"Be careful," Michonne said as she picked up her rifle and turned her eyes back to the camp below.

Daryl and Carol took off down the hill. Daryl turned to her as they ran. "Once were down there, I'll find Connie and you look for Lydia."

"Beta took her into the tent with Negan but only he came out. She's probably still in there."

"Probably."

Carol studied Daryl, reading the anxiety and worry all over his face. "What's wrong?"

"I looked everywhere for Connie while we were up there but I didn't see her anywhere."

"We're going to find her," Carol stated, trying to reassure him.

As they moved closer to the Whisperer camp. Daryl stopped and turned to Carol. "Hey, I know you think you gotta get to Negan, like you owe him somethin' but..." Daryl stopped.

"What?" Carol asked expectantly.

"I need you right now," Daryl said, pleading with his eyes. "I need you to help me get her back. I need to know you're gonna be there for me first. Alright?"

Carol looked into Daryl's eyes. She knew exactly what it took from him to ask her for help...with such need and desperation. She nodded her head. "Of course. Once I find Lydia, I'll help you get Connie back. I promise."

Daryl nodded, grateful that she understood.

Once they reached the camp, they took cover in some bushes near a row of tents.

"Those two, right there," Daryl said in a hushed tone as he pointed to two Whisperers hiding near the outskirts of the camp. Carol nodded and they both raised their bows. Daryl counted to three and they simultaneously fired arrows into the two of them. They came out and quickly pulled the two dead bodies back to the cover of the bushes.

They wasted no time removing the over shirts from the two bodies then the masks. Daryl and Carol put the shirts on over their own clothes making sure the bandanas were visible.

Daryl pulled the mask over his face and looked over at Carol. She stared down at the mask in her hands with a look of anguish. "What are you waitin' for? Put it on."

Carol shook her head and looked from the mask towards Daryl. "I...I can't."

"They treat the skin so that it's safe. They don't even really smell bad."

"That's not it," Carol replied.

"Well what the hell is it?" Daryl asked impatiently.

"I don't know. I just can't."

"Sure ya can. You can do anything. You can do this too." Daryl looked into Carol's eyes. She looked like she wanted to cry. He didn't understand. He'd seen her do battle with men twice her size. She rescued her entire group of friends when they were seconds away from being butchered. She had even worn the mask of a killer when the Wolves penetrated the walls of Alexandria. She wore it and saved God only knows how many of them. But now she couldn't do the one thing that would likely keep her safe when they entered the battlefield.

"Carol, look at me," Daryl said as he moved closer to her. He put his hand on her arm and looked at her with compassion. "You gotta put it on or your gonna get yourself killed."

Tears fell from Carol's eyes as she looked at her best friend. Daryl didn't understand what was going through her head or why she was upset. But he wasn't going to push her anymore. Daryl snatched the gruesome disguise from her hands and threw it on the ground. "Screw the mask," he exclaimed. He took Carol by the hand and led her farther into the Whisperer camp.

Carol and Daryl both nodded at each other before splitting up and going in different directions. Carol strategically ran behind trees and tents as she made her way to the tent they watched Negan and Lydia enter. Carol drew back the nylon and mesh and walked inside carefully. As soon as she was in the tent, she found Lydia.

The young girl was dead and feeding on someone. Carol drew her knife from her belt and raised it above her head. She plunged it into the top of Lydia's skull. The girl collapsed onto a sleeping bag as Carol stood over her.

Carol stooped down and rolled Lydia's body over. She studied the large cut across her neck. She'd been murdered by someone. Was it Negan who sliced the poor girl's throat? Maybe it was Beta. It couldn't it have been her own mother. What mother could possibly kill her own child? They had all watched Lydia enter the tent with Negan and Beta. Moments later Negan, Alpha and Beta walked out without her.

Carol sighed sadly as she looked at Lydia's raven hair and fair skin, covered with dark blood. Henry loved this sweet girl and he would be devastated by the loss. Guilt swept over Carol as she thought of how they had sent Lydia down here. In this bloody war, she was an innocent. They were sure that if anyone would be safe, it would be were wrong.

Carol was about to leave the tent when she saw the other body stir from the corner. Carol widened her eyes as she realized who it was. She pulled her knife back as she watched Alpha return to life. She took two steps forward and stabbed it through Alpha's eye socket upward into her brain. Alpha's dead body fell over on top of Lydia's. Carol kicked the loathsome woman's body off of Lydia's, then turned to exit the tent.

…..

"I'm out of ammo," Henry said.

"Me too," Michonne replied a few seconds later.

"What do we do?" Henry asked. "Should we go down there?"

"No not yet."

"Well what do we do then? My mom and Lydia are still down there."

"Just give me a second to think Henry, okay!" Michonne replied impatiently.

Michonne pulled a walkie from her belt and held it near her mouth. "This is Daito. Maverick do you copy?" Michonne said trying to reach Aaron. She waited a few seconds for any kind of response before speaking again. "This is Daito. Does anyone copy?" Silence was the only thing coming from the walkie

Michonne stared down the hill into the Whisperer camp. She didn't see Daryl or Carol. She didn't see Connie or Lydia. The truth was she couldn't see anyone other than the dead Whisperers they had taken down and Negan, who still laid lifelessly near a tree.

Most of the Whisperers had fled. They were either hiding in their tents or had left the camp completely. They could have even climbed up the hill where she and Henry were hiding out.

Michonne wiped the sweat from her brow and set her gun down. She blew out through her mouth. She was torn. As much as she wanted to charge into the camp to help her friends, a huge part of her was still in Alexandria.

Thoughts of Judith and R.J. filled the space in her head. There wasn't anything on the planet that scared Michonne other than losing her children or having them lose her.

Michonne became melancholy as she thought back to an event that took place seven years earlier. It was an event that her mind couldn't help but replay nearly every day.

It was a day like most other days. He was wearing his favorite tan button-up shirt, black jeans and worn leather boots that had seen better days. As Michonne thought back to the last kiss they shared, she could almost smell the cypress and grapefruit from the home-made soap he liked. She pictured his crooked lips smiling back at her as he walked out the door. He left to supervise the bridge rebuild and she went on to perform all her duties that kept Alexandria running.

Michonne would never have guessed that would be the last time she would kiss Rick Grimes. If she would have known she would have begged him to stay.

But of course that's not how life worked. Even in the good old days it didn't work like that. Michonne said goodbye to the love of her life that day. The next and last time she saw him, he was on the bridge, moments before it exploded.

It had been the same thing with Andre and Carl. Michonne remembered the days both of her boys had left her. Those days started out one way and ended another way. They were both cruelly taken from her and she had no choice but to add them to her collection of losses.

Before Michonne left earlier today, she kissed Judith and R.J. goodbye. Could it have been the last time? Her heart raced at just the thought of leaving Judith and R.J. as orphans in a mad world.

"Michonne," Henry said again, his voice immediately pulling her out of her thoughts. "We have to go down there, right?"

Michonne stared back at Henry, speechless. She'd been trying to talk herself out of going into the Whisperer camp but she had to go. Doing nothing went against everything in her nature. She couldn't sit on the sidelines and watch...not when her friends needed help. Even her young children understood that she wasn't built that way.

"Right," Michonne finally replied. "We'll go in but follow my lead, okay?"

"Yeah, of course."

"If we're going to do this, you gotta listen to me," Michonne said putting her hand on the young boy's shoulder. In that moment, with his blue eyes staring back at her, he reminded her so much of Carl. He was about this same age Carl was when he died, seven years ago. She shook her head, ridding herself of the sad and useless thoughts and spoke again to Henry. "If anything goes wrong, or you feel like you're in real danger, run. Don't look back. Don't wait for your mom or Lydia or me or Daryl...just get out of there. Promise me that, okay?"

"Okay," Henry said nodding.

Michonne and Henry gathered their weapons. Henry pulled a sharp, bolo machete out of his backpack while Michonne slid her katana off her back. They were ready for the close combat they'd surely be encountering once they reached the enemy camp.

Michonne crept through the dark woods with Henry closely trailing behind. She heard twigs crackling behind her and turned around quickly, aiming her sword in the direction of the noise. Just a few dim flashlights shined through the trees but she could hear a crowd of people closing in on them.

"Dammit," she said. "Henry, you might have to run sooner than we thought."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You promised me you would."

"I lied," the dauntless teen replied. Michonne couldn't help but chuckle just a little. It was the exact kind of thing Carl would have said to her too.

"Well alright then. We do this," Michonne said stoically as the footsteps came closer. They both raised their weapons ready to take down whoever appeared in front of them.

The group of people was just a few yards away when their flashlights shone right in their faces.

"Henry...Michonne!" Ezekiel called out.

"Dad!" Henry exclaimed with elation. He ran to his father and threw his arms around him.

Michonne thanked God as face after familiar face appeared in front of her. Aaron, Rosita, Eugene, Jerry, Siddiq, Alden, Luke, Yumiko, Magna, Earl, Scott, Laura and at least two dozen others from Alexandria, Hilltop and Oceanside were all there and well-armed.

"Sorry we couldn't reach you on the walkie," Aaron said as he stood in front of his friend. "I tried but..."

"They're shitty walkies," Michonne interrupted casually, with a smile on her face. She closed her eyes and blew a deep breath out. She opened them again and looked at Aaron and the rest of her friends with a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad you guys are here."

...

A/N: Well quarantine has me writing up a storm and I'm thrilled about that! This chapter was getting super long so I decided to split it into two chapters so I'm happy to say that I should be publishing the next chapter in just a few days, after I edit it.

Right now I want to give a special shout-out to Mother Noose. I can't help but share things pertaining to my faith and personal life. I wear my heart on my sleeve and that's just who I am. It can sometimes make me a little nervous though, because this isn't the typical forum to do that. But, all of you have made this such a safe space for me to be myself and share whatever I feel I gotta share. I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. Mother Noose, you really made me feel like my fic and my own story are heard and appreciated and that means the world to me. For the record, there's no such thing as comment spam in my book. I love it so keep those comments coming! Thank you to all my readers for reading what I have to say here and taking the time to tell me what you think about it!

Anyhow, I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and doing well despite all the craziness. I pray God will sustain you through whatever trials you encounter and that you would be able to find gratitude and love everywhere you look. Love and blessings to you friends!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: David and Goliath**

Daryl skipped home with his fishing pole over one shoulder and three trout over the other. He had gotten up very early, before dawn and spent the morning fishing.

The pole was a gift he had just received from Gramps a few weeks earlier for his sixth birthday. His Grammy and Gramps were visiting from Ridgeville, Alabama to see there estranged daughter, Melinda Dixon and their two grandsons, Merle and Daryl.

Of course the visit did not go well but Daryl got to see his grandparents and his Gramps gave him one of the only birthday presents Daryl had ever received.

"A boy your age needs to know how to fish," Gramps said after Daryl tore the Bugs Bunny wrapping paper off the awkwardly wrapped fishing pole. His eyes lit up with such joy when he looked at the shiny fishing pole. It was a brand new gift bought just for him. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Since receiving it, he had fished every day in the creek a half mile behind the run-down, two-bedroom house they lived in. It was a peaceful escape from the constant chaos and abuse at home.

As Daryl got closer to his house this morning, he could already hear the yelling. He watched his mama run out of the house onto the front porch. He was about to run up to her when he saw his pa bolt through the door next.

When Daryl laid eyes on an angry Wade Dixon, he froze in place. He dropped the trout and his beloved fishing pole before running to hide behind the fat trunk of the sycamore tree in the front yard. He trembled as he peaked around the tree trunk to see what was happening.

Daryl watched his pa grab his mama by the hair and snap her back towards him. "Let me go!" she cried out.

Wade held her by her hair as he wrestled his keys out of her hand. Once he retrieved the keys, he pushed her into the rail on the porch. "Get the hell outta here then and leave," he yelled back, "but you ain't takin' my truck, you stupid bitch! You can walk!"

"Please, Wade, just give me the keys," Melinda plead as she pulled herself off the ground. "I can't walk. If I I'm late to work again they're gonna fire me."

Daryl watched his pa hold his belly as he laughed. "Oh no, you're gonna lose your job changin' sheets and scrubbin' toilets at that fleabag motel!"

"Well one of us has to work! We can't both sit around the house drinkin' all day long! You ain't even goin' anywhere. Just gimme the damn keys!"

"I said for you to walk so you better get to it! Them toilets ain't gonna scrub the shit off themselves," Wade laughed again as he opened the door to go inside.

Before Wade could go back into the house, Melinda ran back up onto the porch and snatched the keys from his hand. She spun around quickly and ran to the pick-up truck parked on the lawn. She opened the door and jumped inside. She stuck the keys into the ignition as she started to close the door. But it was too late. Wade angrily swung the door open. He pulled her out of the truck by her hair and threw her to the ground.

Daryl watched in terror as his pa climbed on top of his mama. He made a fist, then slammed it into her face three times before he stood up. Wade was out of breath as he walked towards the truck. Daryl thought his pa was leaving and let out a sigh of relief. He came out from behind the sycamore tree and was about to walk towards his mama as she lay sprawled out on the ground.

"No!" mama whispered loudly, "stay back! Run and hide, Daryl!" Little Daryl went back to the safety of his hiding spot behind the tree. He watched as his father came back from the truck, dangling the keys in his hand.

"You still want the keys?" Wade asked in a menacing tone as he approached her.

Melinda sat up and tried to crawl away from him. "No!" she cried in terror. "I'll walk! I'll walk to work! Please Wade!"

Daryl watched as he kicked her back down to the ground and stood over her. He never remembered him looking bigger or more vicious than he did in that moment. To six-year-old Daryl, his pa looked the size of a grizzly bear. Wade dropped to the ground and climbed on top of her again. "You wanted the keys right? Well here they are!" Wade's face was bright red as he took the truck key and jammed it into her ear.

"Nooo!" Melinda Dixon screamed out in pain. "Stop please!" she begged.

Daryl's eyes widened in horror as he watched the blood run down the side of his mama's face and into her shiny, blonde hair. _Pa_ _no! _Daryl screamed inside his head._ Stop it! Don't hurt mama! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Please! _Daryl wanted to say the words out loud but he couldn't. He was frozen in fear. His pa didn't even know he was there and if he did know, Daryl was sure he would come after him next.

Wade finally climbed off of Melinda and walked back inside the house. Daryl stared at his crying mother as she laid on the ground in agony, holding her bloody ear. He wanted desperately to go to her and help her...to clean the blood off her face with his bandana or at least help her get up from the ground but he couldn't. He stood there with his feet planted firmly in the grass. He'd never been this scared before.

Daryl finally crept out from behind the sycamore tree. He walked in the direction where his mama laid, still crying on the ground. He inched closer and closer towards her as he carefully watched the door to make sure his pa wasn't coming back. Suddenly, Daryl heard a noise coming from inside the house. It was his pa and he was sure he was coming for him next.

Daryl couldn't help his mama and even if he could, it wouldn't be worth the wrath of Wade Dixon. Terrified, he quickly backed up from her as he stared at the door. He picked up the trout he'd caught that morning along with his new fishing pole and ran back towards the creek. Daryl ran as fast as his dirty, bare feet could carry him. As he ran, he looked over his shoulder at his mama, still on the ground bleeding. He didn't go back home that day. He convinced himself that his mama was probably dead and that it was his fault for not doing anything to save her.

…..

Daryl walked through the camp assuredly. The mask he wore gave him the run of the camp as he searched for Connie. It was a large camp though and he felt like she could be anywhere.

Daryl's instincts and reflexes were impeccable but his mind was quickly spinning out of control. _Where the hell is she? _he asked as he looked everywhere. He went from tent to tent looking for her but each time he pulled open a door, all he found were the faces of strangers, hiding from the attack.

The longer he searched for Connie, the more he felt like he was drowning in his anxiety_. She ain't here, _he said to himself. _She probably ain't never been here. I didn't get here in time and they killed her! _

As he walked through the camp, thoughts of Connie filled his spinning head. He pictured her brushing her fingertips down over his eyelids when she forced him to rest in the watchtower in Alexandria. He thought of her falling into his comforting arms, crying into his chest after she lost her baby sister. He could almost feel her hand in his when they sat in the dark signing to each other in the cabin in the woods.

_Dammit! Why did you go to Hilltop after they took her? You should have chased after her right away! You had the best thing you ever had and then you let her get taken! You let this happen! You don't deserve her. You knew this was gonna end bad but you fell for her anyway. If she's dead it's your own damn fault! You did this!_

Tears found their way from Daryl's eyes. No matter what the situation, Daryl always found some way to blame himself for whatever had gone wrong. It's how his injured heart had always operated since as far back as he could remember.

This felt like a nightmare. Ever since she was taken from him, he'd been consumed. Daryl shook his head and kept searching. _Alright, get it together asshole!_

Daryl heard someone walk up behind him. He turned around and saw a large man quickly approaching him. He had an ax in his hand but he must have recognized the mask Daryl was wearing and didn't attack. Daryl resisted the instinct to take him down and instead waited for him to come closer. "What the hell is going on?" the man exclaimed. "They shot Alpha...I can't find Beta or Gamma. Everyone's either run off, they're hiding or they're dead. What do we do?"

Daryl remained silent but nodded his head for the man to follow him. He obeyed and Daryl led him somewhere less conspicuous. They stood behind a tree as the man continued to speak. "They already took down at least a dozen of our people. What are we going to do?"

Daryl motioned for the Whisperer to hand over his ax and the man complied. As soon as the ax was in his hand, Daryl slammed the blunt side into his chest. The man fell to his knees holding onto his broken ribs.

Daryl stood beside him, holding the ax above his head. He tore off the mask the Whisperer was wearing and looked him in the eyes. "Where's the girl they brought here four days ago?" Daryl barked.

"I don't know," the man replied. "Who the hell are you?"

Daryl punched the Whisperer in the face. "Tell me where she is or your dead...ya hear me?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"The deaf girl. Her name is Connie. The one that was brought here four days ago!" Daryl said, his patience quickly diminishing.

"Gamma?" the man replied breathlessly.

Daryl grabbed his collar and shook him by it. "I said her name is Connie!"

"Yeah, the deaf girl...Alpha calls her Gamma. She's next in command after her and Beta. She's teaching us. She's teaching us to sign so we can be silent."

"Where is she?"

"I don't...I don't know. She's always with Alpha. Alpha won't let her leave her side after dark. She might be in Alpha's tent. It's over by that grove of trees," the man said pointing.

Daryl raised the ax over the man's head.

"Please! Please don't kill me!" he cried. "I helped you! And I have...I have children and they need me! I'm beggin' you, please don't kill me!"

Daryl lowered the ax and pulled a piece of cloth from his back pocket. "Lay on your stomach," he ordered the Whisperer. The man did as he was told and Daryl quickly bound his hands. Daryl pulled the man up and dragged him to a tree. He grabbed him by his hair and slammed his head against the trunk. The man's eyes rolled to the back of his head before he lost consciousness. Daryl wiped the sweat from his brow and left to find Connie.

...

Connie couldn't hear the gunshots but as she ran along the edge of the camp she saw the bodies of the Whisperers laying on the ground. It was clearly an attack and Daryl had to be part of it. If he was alive, no rescue would be mounted without him. She couldn't just run away when her friends and Daryl were there to save her. She stood behind a tree and peeked from behind it to see if she could find him. Her eyes scanned over the camp when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Connie spun around with her knife drawn as she looked to see who had touched her.

Beta stared down at her with a calm look on his face. He put his finger to his lips instructing her to be quiet. "The people who abandoned you are attacking," he whispered. "Alpha is injured. We have to find her and the three of us must leave this place."

Connie couldn't believe it. Beta was so certain that she was loyal to the Whisperers. He assumed that she wanted to stay with these psychopaths. Connie would play his absurd ignorance to her advantage. She looked up at him and nodded her head in agreement.

Beta wrapped his arm around Connie's arm and led her back into the camp. They walked inconspicuously towards Alpha's tent. Beta pulled back the fabric door and walked inside with her. When he saw Alpha dead on the floor, he dropped to his knees, gasping and weeping.

"No, this can't be," Beta said under his breath. He looked over at Connie, wanting her to sympathize. "Alpha is gone. Someone ended both her lives and she won't walk with the living _or_ the dead. Who could have done this?"

Connie shook her head looking back at him as he crouched on the floor in tears. She feigned sadness and shock for the fallen leader.

Beta picked up Alpha's body and threw it over his shoulder. He exited the tent, pulling Connie by her arm again.

As soon as Connie and Beta walked out of the tent, Beta felt a knife slide in and out of his back. Beta roared out in pain as he spun around and looked down into Carol's face. She stopped in her tracks as she looked up at the gruesome giant.

Carol quickly swung her knife at Beta, cutting him again, this time in his arm. Beta dropped Alpha's body to the ground knocking Connie down. Before Carol could attempt a third injury, Beta grabbed her hand, pulled the knife from her fingers and threw it to the ground. He immediately put his hands around Carol's neck.

Beta squeezed his thick fingers around Carol's throat, lifting her from the ground and swinging her around like a ragdoll. She tried to pull his fingers away from her neck but she couldn't. Her eyes fluttered then closed completely as she fiercely kicked her legs at him. But it was no use and her body went limp in his powerful arms.

Connie stood from the ground and pulled her knife out. She wasted no time stabbing the dagger into Beta's back. Beta threw Carol to the ground and turned to Connie. "You bitch!" he shouted as he swung his fist at Connie's face as hard as he could. He knocked her to the ground with the blow as he spoke gruffly. "The Gamma is as disloyal as the Omega. Now you'll die like she did!"

Beta bent down and pulled the small dagger from Connie's hand. He stared venomously down at the unconscious woman as he knelt on the ground and pinned her arms down with his knees. Beta moved the dagger to Connie's head but before he could do anything else, he felt something pierce his body. He looked down, shocked to see an arrow sticking out from his chest. He kept the knife close to Connie's head but with his other hand, he wrapped his fingers around the arrow and snapped it in half. He reached behind his back and tried to pull it out.

Before Beta could pull the first arrow out, another arrow flew threw the air. It narrowly missed his head but tore off his ear. Blood poured from his chest and head as he looked at a man approaching.

Daryl threw his crossbow to the ground and pulled his saw-backed Bowie knife from it's sheath. He wielded the massive knife confidently as he charged Beta. Daryl was just a few feet away when Beta moved the dagger to Connie's ear, placing just the tip of the knife into her ear canal. "Stop!" Beta gasped as blood spurted from his mouth. "Stop right there!"

"Get away from her!" Daryl shouted.

Beta stared at Daryl, wickedly baring his bloody teeth. "The Gamma belongs to The Whisperers and she will die for her betrayal."

"Don't!" Daryl cried out desperately, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

"You are a weak little boy and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"You want blood," Daryl stated. "You want blood so take it from me. Let her go and take it from me instead."

"I'll take it from you both," Beta boasted.

"Take it from me first," Daryl replied in a placid tone as he held his eyes to Beta's. "Look at me. Just look at me." Daryl crouched low to the ground and laid his knife in the dirt. Beta stared ahead as Daryl inched his hand away from the knife. He raised his hands in the air as he moved in closer to the giant.

"Yes," Beta grinned, "come closer to me little boy so I can tare the skin from your flesh and the flesh from your bones. You will die slowly this day and so will this woman. And you, you're too weak to do anything about it."

In one sweeping motion, Daryl jumped through the air and tackled Beta onto his back and away from Connie. With one hand he ripped the knife out of Beta's hand and with the other hand he pounded his fist into his face. Beta growled as he threw Daryl off of him. Daryl landed on his back and groaned as he felt the stitches in his abdomen splitting open.

It didn't take long for Beta to move closer to Daryl and climb on top of him. Beta saw the fresh blood on Daryl's shirt and twisted his fist into the wound. Beta moved his fist upward and punched Daryl in the face again and again. Daryl began to fade into unconsciousness with each blow. While his face was being battered, his hand moved slowly down to his boot. Within seconds, he pulled out his Tanto blade and slid it into Beta's side. He pulled it out and slid it in again and inch higher.

Beta stopped his assault and tried to pull the knife from Daryl's hand. Before he could, Daryl savagely stabbed the knife into Beta's neck. He then pulled the knife out of his neck and stuck into the beast's eye socket.

Beta fell backwards as he covered his neck with his hand. He sputtered and choked as blood shot up from his neck. Daryl moved over to the dying man and stabbed the knife one last time into his temple.

Daryl's body trembled violently before he collapsed to the ground. Connie sat up and crawled over to him. She knelt close to his beaten body. She cried as she pulled her overshirt off, trying desperately to attend to his many wounds. She placed her hand on his face as she stared into his eyes.

Daryl stared back up at her. He raised his hand up cupping her soft cheek as her tears ran down her face. "Don't cry," he said serenely. "I'll be okay."

Despite the agonizing pain he felt throughout his entire body, a calm washed over Daryl. Connie was safe and they were together. He found her, he saved her and he vowed to never let anything to separate them again.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was the face of the woman he loved.

...

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. I especially hope you appreciated the glimpse at 6 year old Daryl Dixon because that was my favorite part to write. And now that Daryl and Connie are finally reunited, I'm excited for some lighter (and perhaps more romantic) chapters in the near future.

I also want to say a few things about the latest season of TWD. I have absolutely loved it and I can't believe we have to wait for who knows how long for the actual finale. I have a prediction that Connie is inside Beta's horde and that she is going to be the secret weapon that saves the day.

Drop a comment and let me know what you think about all this or anything else for that matter. Have a very blessed Easter weekend...He is Risen! Love and blessings to you friends!


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** I had a little trouble publishing the last chapter and had to do it several times. I feel like it's possible that some people didn't get an email notifying them of my previous chapter. Anyway, I just want to make sure that everyone reads "Chapter 23: David and Goliath" before you read this one.

**Chapter 24: After the Storm**

The commotion of the battle had slowed considerably when Carol finally thought it was safe enough to look for Negan. She searched everywhere but was having no luck. She rolled over a few bodies that she thought might be him but they weren't. Maybe he wasn't as injured as they thought he was and he ran away. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to go back into his cell and would take his chances elsewhere.

Carol continued her search in the dark and finally spotted him. He had crawled from where Beta had stabbed him towards a large oak. His body was slumped against the trunk and his eyes were closed. She ran towards him and fell to the ground beside his body.

"Negan!" Carol shouted. "Negan! Negan wake up, right now!" she shouted again, this time slapping his face gently.

Negan finally opened his eyes. When they focused on Carol, a dopey grin spread across his face. "Did I die and go to heaven because I think I see an angel in front of me?"

Carol shook her head in exasperation. Even as he was bleeding to death, he couldn't keep from doling out his slick and flirtatious quips. "Where are you bleeding?"

"In my gut," Negan said, the smile quickly fading from his face as he cringed in agony. "I ain't never been in this kind of pain. I'm dyin'."

Carol pulled Negan's shirt up and watched the slow but steady ooze of blood from where he was stabbed. She pulled her scarf from around her neck and pressed it into his bleeding wound. "Just hold on...we'll get you back to Alexandria."

"I ain't makin' it back to Alexandria."

"Yes you are!" Carol stated adamantly. "We're going to stitch you up and you'll be okay. Siddiq will be here in a couple of minutes. We have a truck and we'll have you in Alexandria in an hour."

"I don't have an hour," Negan said as his eyes grew heavy.

"Hey, hey...stay with me! Okay? Stay with me!" Carol lifted Negan's head and pulled him into her arms. "Negan, wake up! You're gonna be back to picking cucumbers and tomatoes in that garden of yours. And don't you want to know how your book ends?"

"Aww that's sweet. You were payin' attention."

"Yeah, I was. And you gotta stay with me or you won't find out how it ends!"

"I don't think that's gonna happen," Negan replied groggily.

"Jack Ryan...he uh, he..." Carol stammered, "he's gonna stop the bomb, I know it. He'll stop the bomb from exploding at the Super Bowl and he's gonna save everybody."

"Yeah that's what's gonna happen" Negan said quietly.

"Of course he will but you gotta find out_ how_ he does it? The how will be the twist so stay with me!"

"I don't really care anymore. What can I say? Dying puts things into perspective." Negan's eyes fluttered open again and he looked up into Carol's soft face. "You know what I would like?" Negan lifted his hand up and touched his fingertips to Carol's face. He looked deeply into her eyes as he spoke again. "Could you give a dying man his one last wish?"

"I told you you're not going to die."

"Damn you're stubborn."

"What?" Carol asked. "What's your dying wish?"

"A kiss," Negan said smiling. "Just one little kiss."

Carol scoffed and shook her head at first. But then, as she looked down into Negan's pale, heavy face, she was moved with compassion. She smiled tenderly at him, then leaned over slowly before pressing her lips gently to his forehead.

"Damn. That was even better than a roll in the hay," Negan exclaimed as his eyes widened momentarily. "It felt like..." but Negan didn't finish.

"Like what?"

"It felt like...like maybe you like me."

"I do like you," Carol replied, her voice cracking slightly. "I really tried not to but it was harder than I thought it would be." She couldn't believe that she cared about Negan. If someone had told her a week ago that she would have made an ally from this enemy, she wouldn't have believed them.

"Since I'm on a roll, there's one more thing I gotta ask you for."

"Don't push it. I told you I'm a married woman," Carol said chuckling.

"I ain't gonna make it back, and I just want to say something," Negan stated in a clear and sober tone.

"Say what?"

Negan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I spewed out a lot of bullshit in my life but I want you to know that I'm being truthful right now...sincere."

"Okay, I believe you," Carol said nodding. "What do you want to tell me?"

Negan sighed listlessly before speaking."I'm sorry about your friends. I'm sorry about Glenn and Abraham."

"You knew their names?" Carol asked in disbelief.

"I did. And I'm sorry for what I did to them. I mean it. I'm sorry for a lot of shit I did. Some of it I could blame on the fact the world is a living hell and we were at war but that...what I did to your friends...there's no way to slice it. It was cruel. It was evil. I can't take it back but I'm so sorry for it. And I ain't even askin' for forgiveness. I ain't gonna put that on you. That'd be too much. I'm just...I'm just sorry."

Carol stared down into Negan's face. She was speechless.

She hadn't been there on the night her friends...her family, had met Negan and his men on the road to Hilltop. She hadn't witnessed her loved ones cowering on their knees. She hadn't seen what Negan had done to Glenn and Abraham. She had run away from them, chasing after a life of solitude for what now felt like selfish reasons.

Even when Daryl finally found her just outside the Kingdom and she asked if everything was okay, he spared her the truth. He told her that things were fine so that she wouldn't worry – so she could keep her solitude. But she found out. Morgan finally told her.

When Carol heard exactly what had happened, that Glenn and Abraham's heads were beaten to a literal pulp, that Maggie had watched the father of her unborn child be murdered in such a cruel and depraved manner, she was sick. She ran outside and threw up her breakfast when she found out what Negan, a man she'd never met, had done to her friends.

But now, Negan was dying. He was dying and Carol didn't hate him anymore. She could have but she just didn't. She wasn't glad or feeling like he was getting what he deserved. She was sorry. He had helped her when even her own friends weren't willing.

Maybe if she had been there to witness Glenn and Abe's death she would feel differently. Or maybe seven years had given her a different perspective. Maybe those seven years had made her softer. Maybe she'd changed or maybe the world had. But Carol didn't think that was it. Plain and simple, Negan had made her trust him...made her appreciate what he was willing to sacrifice...made her like him.

Carol continued to hold him in her arms as he finally closed his eyes again. She held on to the side of his face as she spoke to him. "I forgive you."

…..

Once Michonne and the others had charged into the camp, the battle was bloody but brief. The allies were a well-trained army and it didn't take long to end the war with the Whisperers. The combined forces of the four communities took down less than two dozen of the Whisperer fighters.

Only those who resisted were killed while those who surrendered were shown mercy. When Michonne and the other leaders walked through the Whisperer camp, it was obvious what was really happening.

Alpha and Beta had their followers under a vicious spell. They were just normal people trying to survive any way they could. They were controlled with domination and fear, subjected to the twisted and tyrannical will of their rescuers. Most of the people who had surrendered were shell-shocked. Many of them were mothers and fathers with helpless children.

While the leaders of the four communities would have to be wise in how the survivors were handled, they wouldn't just turn their backs on them. They would help them. They would treat them with a dignity and normalcy they hadn't experienced in a long time.

They would have considered the entire war a success if not for the casualties the allies had sustained themselves. There were a number of serious injuries including Jerry who was shot badly and had lost his right arm. But Jerry knew how close he came to death and was just grateful that he would be able to return to his wife and children. He knew what a blessing it would be to go home since so many others never would.

Magna, Earl and Laura had been killed along with four others. It was an enormous loss but no side ever comes out unscathed in a war. The very nature of war is death and loss for those cursed by it's bloodthirsty behavior.

But it was over. The violence had seceded and the war was over for both sides. They would try to rebuild their lives and move on from the nightmare they'd all lived through.

…..

It was 4 in the morning when Daryl awoke the next day in Alexandria's infirmary. He didn't remember how he'd gotten there but was glad to be off the battlefield and out of danger. The last week had been one of the most exhausting of his entire life.

Daryl inhaled and exhaled slowly, relieved to be safe and in one piece. Although he was well accustomed to a life on the road, he could appreciate the warmth of a bed. Since he was a boy, he'd slept with his head on the ground a thousand times over. But the comfort of a pillow under his head was something even the brawny roughneck could relish.

But Daryl's peace was short-lived. He looked around the pitch black room, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He hadn't been awake for more than a few seconds before a panic set into his mind and body. Where was Connie? Had she made it back from the Whisperer camp? Was she even alive?

He sat up quickly and reached over with his hands to climb out of bed. He felt an arm resting on the mattress. He felt with his hands where the arm led. His fingers touched her soft curls and he immediately sighed in relief. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness as he watched her sit up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Daryl said. He rolled his eyes, immediately feeling foolish for talking to her in the dark room. She obviously couldn't hear him or even see his mouth but he still wasn't quite used to all of this yet.

Connie reached over and found Daryl's hand with hers. She laced her fingers through his holding onto his his rough hand. Daryl listened to her let out her own sigh of relief as they sat there in the dark.

Connie appreciated the calm and quiet just as much as Daryl did. The last week had been a storm of powerful emotions for her.

The storm started with losing Kelly. It was a heartbreak she hadn't felt since the beginning of the end, ten long years ago. Ten years ago, when she lost her fiance, her mother, and her precious newborn baby. Losing Kelly had torn her heart from her chest. It had been the two of them for so long and not having her baby sister had made Connie question whether she even wanted to live.

Then in the midst of her grief she fell in love. It wasn't something she was looking for. It came out of nowhere when she found him. Even when she did find him, love seemed impossible with such a hard and wounded soul. Daryl had tried so hard to push her away but the two of them were like magnets and a force more powerful than either of their wills pulled them together. It was surreal to have those feelings for him. Like the feelings of grief and heartache, the love was another emotion she hadn't felt in over a decade.

The emotional storm continued to build to a cyclone for Connie when she was thrust into enemy territory. She was filled with fear at first, knowing what kind of monsters she was dealing with. Monsters that had ripped her sister from her life and now wanted something from her. The fear quickly turned back into hatred as she looked for a way to avenge her sister and escape. She did that. And although killing Alpha didn't do anything to assuage the pain of losing Kelly, it did at least give her closure on this dark chapter.

Grief, love, hatred, fear, and finally vindication had been storming through her head and heart over the last seven days. It was almost more than she could bear. It overwhelmed her but she had come out on the other side, battered but whole.

And now, the storm had subsided completely. It was over. The battle with the enemy was already in the past and the future was the only thing ahead. A future together. They both rested in the quiet calm, as they took in the rare moment of peace they'd never fully experienced with one another.

Daryl and Connie held hands in the peaceful and thoughtful silence for nearly ten minutes when Daryl finally pulled his hand out of hers.

Connie's shoulders sunk when she felt his hand leave hers. Did he want her to leave? She wasn't ready to say goodbye to him, not even for the night. They'd been apart for what seemed like an eternity and her heart sank at the thought of going away from him. She wished that the room wasn't so dark so that she could see his face and know his intentions.

Connie finally stood to leave. Daryl needed his rest and in truth, so did she. She began to turn away when she felt his hand close around her wrist sending a tingle up her arm. He pulled her back to himself as he moved his body to the opposite side of the bed. Daryl took his other hand and wrapped it quickly around her waist, pulling her towards the bed.

He didn't want her to leave. On the contrary, he wanted her even closer. Connie nervously slid into the bed and inched her body closer to Daryl's.

Daryl pulled her as close to himself as possible then drew the blanket over them both. Connie nestled herself against the warmth of his body. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest next to her own chest. She felt the beat of his heart, steady and rhythmic against her face. Connie couldn't remember ever feeling so content. She'd never felt this consumed in a moment or this close to another human. She'd never felt this loved.

Daryl reached under the blanket and searched for her hand again. Once he found it, he moved his fingers against her palm.

_I W-O-N-T E-V-E-R L-E-A-V-E Y-O-U A-G-A-I-N,_ Daryl spelled out slowly inside her hand. _I L-O-V-E Y-O-U._

Feelings of bliss surged through_ her entire body as she_ quickly moved her fingers into his hand. _I L-O-V-E Y-O-U._

Daryl's hand released Connie's and trailed up the side of her body. It moved slowly across her hip and rib cage then over her shoulder and onto her neck. It finally stopped once it found her face as he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand. He brushed his lips softly against hers before pulling her mouth completely onto his eager lips.

To Daryl, nothing had ever felt better. Their mouths moved in sync as they kissed slowly. The intensity grew as Connie moved her hand up Daryl's chest and wrapped her fingers around his sinewy neck. She pulled his head closer as the kiss deepened. The passion intensified through both their bodies as Daryl gently moved her lips apart with his tongue. Connie's tongue slid across his as the moment grew frantically. Their hands moved excitedly over each other as the blissful and electric kissing continued.

The wild exchange lasted several minutes before they finally pulled their mouths from one another. Daryl felt completely exhilarated as he leaned his forehead against hers feeling the warmth of her hurried breaths on his face. His hand still held onto her cheek as he kissed her quickly one last time. Connie nestled her head comfortably against his chest again. Daryl held her protectively in his arms as she fell asleep.

**A/N:** Whew! Well that was crazy! I hope nobody minded the PG-13 ending to this chapter! Pretty mellow actually compared to a lot of the FF out there but it was pretty intense for me. LOL! Drop me a comment and tell me what you thought. God bless y'all!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Where Do We Go From Here?**

Daryl winced as he slipped the crisp and clean gray shirt over his arms. He fastened the buttons one by one as he looked aimlessly around the room. He had been in Alexandria's infirmary for two days and he was more than ready to leave. Siddiq came by earlier and gave him the all clear. His multiple injuries were healing well and the antibiotics had taken care of the infection he had from not letting his wounds heal properly the first time. He also suffered a serious concussion from the beating he took to his head from Beta.

But he was fine. He'd lived through the war and was ready to go home...wherever that was.

Daryl walked over to the other side of the room and grunted as he bent over to pick up his dirty boots. He slipped them onto his feet and sat down on a chair. He bent over to lace up his boots when Connie walked through the door. His face brightened when he laid eyes on her, momentarily distracting him from the task at hand.

Daryl gave her a half smile before returning his attention to his boots. He grimaced as he hunched over to lace them up.

Connie quickly came to his side and knelt down to help him. She reached for the laces and began to tighten them from the bottom up. Daryl nudged her shoulder but she ignored him and continued. Daryl touched her face and lifted her chin so that she could see him speak. She finally looked up.

"I can do that myself," Daryl stated clearly as he tried to pull her up by the elbow. Connie slapped his hand away and went back to tying his shoes. Daryl leaned back into the chair and huffed in exasperation as he let her tend to him.

When Connie finished, Daryl stood from the chair and went to the closet to retrieve his vest. Daryl sighed quietly as Connie helped him slide it over his shoulders. He grabbed his crossbow and knife then looked around the room to see if he was missing anything. He looked at Connie again before he opened the door. "You ready?" he asked. Connie smiled and nodded.

They walked out the door and down the stoop. They both instinctively reached for the hand of the other as they walked down Alexandria's perfect tree-lined sidewalk. Connie studied Daryl while Daryl studied his surroundings. He felt like all eyes were on him, wondering what he was doing holding hands with a woman. He shifted uncomfortably as he pulled his hand out of Connie's. He adjusted his crossbow over his shoulder but when he finished, he kept his hand on his weapon. The small act didn't go unnoticed by Connie.

The couple entered the mess hall and walked to the serving table. Daryl grabbed a plate and fork for himself then for Connie. She scooped eggs onto her plate, then onto his, followed by a scoop of potatoes for each of them. They came to a fruit bowl and Daryl picked up an apple and put it on his plate. He nodded to Connie, not sure what kind of fruit she wanted. Connie chose a pear.

Connie looked around the mess hall for open seats and saw two chairs next to an older couple whose names she didn't know. She strolled towards the empty seats before Daryl pulled at her arm. "I got somewhere better." Daryl exited the mess hall and Connie followed.

The two walked together behind a row of houses and towards a gazebo that overlooked Alexandria's pond. They sat on a bench together and Daryl immediately began to eat. Connie held her plate and watched him. She grinned as she watched him scarf down his food. Daryl finally glanced over at her and noticed that she was more interested in him than in her food.

"What?" he asked with a full mouth. Connie smiled back at him then shook her head. The suspicious smile didn't disappear as she put a dainty forkful of potatoes into her mouth.

They ate in the quiet as they gazed at the pond sparkling in the sunlight. When they finished their meal, Connie took Daryl's dishes, stacked them on top of hers and set them on the wooden floor of the gazebo. She sat back down and drew her knees to her chest. She leaned back into the arm of the bench as she faced him.

Daryl looked back at her expectantly but Connie waited patiently for him to speak or make a move.

"What?" Daryl asked again. Connie shrugged her shoulders and pointed at his head. Daryl sat there quietly, with confusion all over his face. "I don't get it. What do you want me to say?" Connie just pointed at him again and waited but Daryl just sat there frozen.

Connie finally pulled her notepad out of her chest pocket. She wrote something down, then showed it to him.

_There's something on your mind  
yr not telling me. What is it?_

Daryl peered out over the water as he pulled in a deep breath then faced her as he exhaled. He reached over and took her hands into his then gazed up into her eyes. "This..." he said slowly as he pointed to himself then her, "this is new for me." Connie smiled warmly at Daryl and nodded for him to continue. "I'm 47 years old and I ain't never...I ain't never been in a relationship like this and I...I don't know what I'm doin'."

Daryl stared at Connie waiting for her to respond. She didn't and it made him uneasy. "Why aren't you answerin' me? Talk to me...tell me what to do?" Daryl let go of her hands and placed her notepad in one hand and her pen in the other.

Connie wrote something down in the notepad and handed it to him.

_What do you want me to say?_

"I told you already," Daryl replied impatiently,"tell me what to do. I ain't no damn mind reader and I don't know what the hell I'm doin' here. I mean holdin' hands and actin' like we're goin' to the prom or somethin'...it just feels..."

Connie sighed as she snatched the notepad from Daryl's hands and wrote again.

_Feels like what? Are you  
embarrassed to be with me?_

"Hell no! I ain't embarrassed by you. I'm embarrassed by myself because everything...all this," he said moving his hand between them, "all this...it just feel so strange. Like I'm in a weird dream or somethin' where some kinda joke is bein' played on me."

_You told me you love me, right?_

Daryl stared down at the note as he chewed on his bottom lip. He finally looked back up at her and spoke. "I do. I love you. That's the only thing I'm sure of."

_You love me. I love you.  
What else do you need to know?  
What do you think I'm supposed to tell you?_

"I know I love you but I ain't got the faintest idea what that actually looks like." Daryl stood up and paced back and forth, agitated by his own confusion. "I never loved someone like this and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. I mean where do we go from here?"

_What makes you think I have all the answers?_

"I don't know, I just know that I ain't got _any_ of the answers," Daryl snapped. Connie shook her head. She was discouraged to see him revert to his old defensive ways. He was so unsure of himself which made him unsure of her. Daryl resembled the caged animal she met a few weeks ago. The fragile warrior that protected himself from having his heart hurt. But this time it was different. She didn't think he was protecting himself from getting hurt but instead trying his best not to hurt her.

Connie watched him shuffle around anxiously and finally grabbed his arm, trying to still him. She showed him another note.

_We'll figure this out_

"I don't know what that means. How do we do that?" Connie scribbled furiously on her notepad for a long time. After a minute, she handed him the note and Daryl read it to himself.

_It means we're together  
It means u let me be with u in EVERY way  
It means you come for me when I'm in danger  
and that I help u tie yr shoes  
because yr still hurting  
U learn I like pears more than apples  
It means I want to hold yr hand when we  
walk down the street  
and I figure out who u r  
and u figure out who I am  
It means I take care of u  
and u take care of me_

"I ain't never let anyone take care of me. I wouldn't know where to start. I just ain't sure I'm gonna be good for you. And you...you deserve something good."

_I do deserve something good  
that's why I'm with you_

"Yeah but all this," Daryl scoffed as he shook his head, "I don't know if I can do all this. This ain't never been me."

_Maybe it's time u tried something new_

Daryl stared at the note. Her words, _something new _stared back at him. This was new. He thought back to just a few days earlier, trying his very best to stage a daring rescue...willing to sacrifice everything to fight the enemy and get the woman he loved back in his arms...taking shot after shot and being beaten into the ground. That seemed normal. Terror and violence and brutality all seemed normal. Going through the danger and saving her from all that gave him purpose.

But now what? Where did he and Connie go now in the calm and peace of this next step? It was so strange and surreal to think of holding hands. It was so foreign to think of someone taking care of him. It didn't feel natural. Daryl Dixon had taken care of himself since he was a small boy.

Actually loving another person and feeling like you deserved their love in return was more than he thought his tender soul could handle. It was too much responsibility for his fragile and inexperienced heart. It was terrifying. It was actually more frightening and uncertain than the world they lived in. The thought of messing this up and hurting her made him question if he even wanted to try.

Daryl sat down again and hung his head. He was so confused and scared. He thought that he had already figured this out when he made the decision to love her. But now in the light of day, he wasn't sure if any of it made sense.

As Daryl sat on the bench contemplating these intricate feelings, he felt Connie's arm slide around his back as she leaned her body gently against his. Her alluring touch immediately sent a surge of warmth and peace through Daryl's body. Her simple touch to his body felt sublime. Daryl closed his eyes and soaked up how good it felt.

Daryl suddenly sat up straight, opened his eyes and turned to Connie. He pulled her arm away and stood up. Connie reached for his hand but Daryl pulled that away too.

"I'm leaving," Daryl said coldly as he picked up his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder.

Connie stood as she narrowed her eyes and put her arms up. _Where?_ she mouthed to him.

"I'm going to look for Dog and just..." Daryl said then looked down,"and to just to be on my own for a little bit."

Connie lifted his chin and made him face her. "I just need to be on my own," Daryl said looking straight at her, trying to subdue his emotions. Connie wrote a note and showed it to him.

_You said you'd never leave me again_

"I know what I said before. I know I said I love you. I know I said I'd never leave you but..."

Connie stood in front of Daryl with indignation, her face inches from his. _But what?_ She mouthed to him as she signed.

"I can't..."

Connie pulled her notepad out of his hands and scribbled furiously on it. She pushed the notepad onto Daryl's chest.

_What? What can't you do?_

"I can't...I can't do this," Daryl stammered. "I can't be with you. We can't be together. I don't know why the hell I ever thought we could! I wasn't built to be able to do this. I don't know how to love you. I can't do it. I'll screw it up. And you don't deserve that! And I...I don't deserve you!" Tears finally escaped from Daryl's eyes as he heard the words coming out of his mouth. Was he really doing this? Was he really turning away from the best thing that had ever happened to him in his entire life? Was he really going to walk away from her?

Connie beat her fists onto Daryl's chest angrily with tears in her own eyes. She finally stopped the onslaught and began to sign frantically. _You! You're such a coward. You'll bleed to death trying to find me but you're too scared to do anything when you do! You think you can't do this...why? Why are you such a coward? Why? You just want to punish yourself! For what? Why can't you love me? What the hell are you so afraid of?_

For once, Daryl was relieved that he couldn't understand what she was saying. He knew enough to know how angry she was and how much he was hurting her. And the fact that he was hurting her just confirmed to him that when it came to matters of the heart, he didn't know what he was doing. "Trust me, you'll be better off without me."

Connie shook her head as she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She looked up into his face, fixing her eyes on his as she cried.

Daryl's feet were planted in front of her and he couldn't move. He couldn't even look away from her. _This ain't ever gonna work. Just turn around and walk away,_ he said to himself. But he couldn't do it. As much as he was afraid to stay, as much as he told himself he didn't deserve her and that he would inevitably hurt her, he couldn't bring himself to walk away from the love he'd found. Already it had become a drug he'd found himself addicted to.

The standoff continued as neither of them could retreat. Connie stood there trembling, all of her emotions flooding through her pounding heart. She stared at Daryl, begging him with her eyes to love her and let her love him back. Daryl was captivated by her mere presence as he stared back at her. He tried to turn to leave but he was held hostage by his longing for her. He fixed his hungry gaze on her as they stood inches apart. He breathed in and out as he felt his heart racing in his chest.

Daryl let his crossbow fall to the ground and leaned forward. He took her face in both of his hands and quickly pulled her full lips to his. He moved his hand down her back and pulled her even closer, as he felt himself completely surrendering to his desire. He suddenly felt like he couldn't get enough of her as he held her body and kissed her delicious mouth. How crazy he had been for thinking just seconds ago that he could possibly be away from her.

Connie's desire matched his as she wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck digging her nails into his skin. She stood on the tips of her toes as she pressed her mouth onto his, devouring him with her lips.

Daryl lifted her from the ground and held her close as the wild kiss continued. He finally set her feet back on the ground as his arms still grasped onto her. He pulled away and looked down into her alluring, brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said as he held her face in front of him. "I'm just scared because I ain't never felt the way I feel with you. I've never one day of my whole entire life loved anyone like I love you and it's terrifying. The thought of letting you take care of me...of messing it up or not being enough...the thought of losing you again...it terrifies me. Now that I have you, I'm always...I'm always gonna need you. It's all or nothin'"

Connie pulled his hand up and placed it onto her chest. She held it there then placed her other hand on his chest. He had her. She wasn't going anywhere and he knew it. And there was no way she would let him walk away either. Daryl felt her heartbeat underneath his hand and breathed easier, feeling that hypnotic peace he always had with her near.

"Go away with me!" Daryl said with breathy excitement. "Go back with me to our cabin in them woods. The place where I knew I was in love with you. Help me look for Dog and just...just be with me. Just you and me together, away from everything."

Connie nodded as she looked for her notepad and pen. She found them on the ground and picked them up. She wiped her tears away as she wrote then held the note in front of him to read.

_We're together now - forever  
Wherever you go, I go too_

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well as this crazy season of life goes on and on and on... I'd love to hear from you! Tell me what you think about this last chapter or how things are going in your own lives. Drop a comment or feel free to PM me because I love to listen and especially love hearing from all of you. Anyhow, love to you all and God bless!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Say the Word**

Connie wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist as he led the two of them farther into the lush Virginia backwoods. They were riding on the back of a chestnut Belgian draft horse instead of his motorcycle. Fuel had become a rare commodity saved only for emergencies. Horses on the other hand were plentiful and Daryl and Connie were gifted a horse by Michonne when they left Alexandria.

Delilah's trot was relatively smooth as she moved effortlessly through the forest. She was a strong horse too. Not only was she carrying two passengers, she was also pulling a cart of supplies. It had been a quiet and uneventful journey but also relatively slow. They had left Alexandria at dawn but were still at least three or four miles from their cabin.

Daryl released the reins from his right hand and held it up in front of Connie. _D-A-R-K S-O-O-N. M-A-K-E C-A-MP H-E-R-E, _he spelled out. Connie held her hand in front of Dary'ls face making the sign for okay.

They rode a few more yards when Daryl pulled back on the reins. Delilah stopped and Connie quickly jumped down. Daryl refrained from letting ego get in the way and let her help ease him off of the horse's back.

The two of them worked perfectly in sync together as they set up camp, made a perimeter and gathered fire wood. In less than an hour, they were sitting around a small campfire roasting deer meat over the flames.

They brought plenty of dried goods with them but earlier that day Daryl spotted a white-tailed buck and wouldn't pass up on the prospect of fresh meat. Connie didn't see the deer at first but she could feel Daryl pull back on Delilah's reins and bring the animal to a sudden but gentle stop. Her eyes followed his every move as he unhitched his crossbow from the side of the saddle with his bronzed, muscular arms. She watched in awe as he shot the deer with flawless precision from atop the horse's back. A thrill of excitement tingled up and down Connie's arms and neck as she watched her man hunt so masterfully.

Now they sat inches apart, reclining around the warmth of the fire, as they ate the tender and savory meat. After they ate their fill, they rested in the quiet darkness. Connie studied Daryl in the glow of the fire. His eyes were heavy and he looked drained. He'd had a long day of packing up, riding, hunting, butchering part of the deer and making camp. And if she was drained from the arduous day, she assumed he had to be too. It didn't seem like his injuries bothered him but Connie honestly didn't know how that was possible. She wrote in her notepad and showed it to him.

_You look tired  
Get some sleep  
I'll take first watch_

"Nah, I'll be okay," Daryl replied casually.

_U r still recovering  
Its been a long day  
Please rest_

"I told you, I'm okay. You should get some sleep though."

_R we gonna go  
thru this every time?  
Don't be so stubborn!_

Daryl chuckled as he read her last note. He _was_ stubborn. On top of that, he really was exhausted. "Would it really make you feel better if I slept?" he asked. Connie nodded her head immediately. Daryl bit his bottom lip as he gazed over at her submissively. "Alright then, I'll sleep."

_ Thank you,_ Connie signed as she smiled at him.

_ You're welcome, _Daryl signed back. He peered into her eyes as he moved his hand up to cup her face. He anxiously brought her lips to his, kissing her tenderly. He would have been happy to keep his lips there for much longer but she wanted him to sleep. He lied down on the bedroll and closed his eyes.

As Daryl laid next to Connie, he could feel her soft touch on the side of his face. Her delicate fingers were moving locks of his long hair behind his ear. He exhaled slowly as he felt her intoxicating touch linger. As he fell asleep he couldn't help but be thankful for the peaceful and much-needed rest he was beginning to feel throughout his body. He was also grateful he'd fallen in love with a woman that happened to be more stubborn than he was.

…_.._

Connie kicked dirt onto last night's campfire while Daryl loaded the last of their supplies back onto the cart. Connie went to his side to help him hitch the cart back onto Delilah.

It was still early when the couple left for the cabin. It was an uneventful morning and they made it the rest of the way in less than two hours. It took another few hours for them to unload the cart and settle into their new home.

Daryl sat on the couch and chugged water from his canteen. Connie sat next to him and mindlessly took the canteen from his hands, taking a big gulp herself. He watched as she put her lips on his canteen. The seemingly insignificant gesture made Daryl feel butterflies in his stomach. Of course he had shared drinks with other people before, but he couldn't remember someone ever feeling comfortable enough to just take a drink from his hand without asking. The small act felt so intimate. The gesture reminded him of how much he needed her boldness. Half the time he felt so unsure of himself around her and he was becoming more and more grateful to have someone else make the calls...even the little ones.

Connie leaned her head on his arm as she wrote him a note.

_How are you feeling?_

Daryl faced her as he spoke, "Actually pretty good. Gettin' a good night's sleep helped so thanks for that." Connie smiled at him then wrote again.

_Still early  
U ready to look for Dog?_

Daryl shook his head, "Nah, not today."

Connie looked at him as she wrinkled her brow. _Why not? _She mouthed as she signed.

Daryl sat up straight as he looked keenly at her. "Today I want to do something else."

_What? s_he signed as she turned her palms upward.

"I want you to teach me to sign," Daryl stated. Connie wrote a note and showed it to him.

_We have plenty of time for that.  
We have to find Dog. Isn't that  
why u wanted to come out here?_

"Yeah it is but Dog, he's either alive or he's not. One more day probably ain't gonna make no difference. But me bein' able to understand you, especially if we get in a tight spot, that could make a big difference."

_R U sure?_

Daryl nodded his head. He _was _sure. He knew waiting another day to look for his loyal pet was risky but he was firm in his decision. Connie's confidence in her decisions gave him confidence in his. "We'll stay here today. We can finish butcherin' that deer...set up a perimeter...settle in. And while we're doin' all that, you're gonna teach me to sign," Daryl told her. "I need you to. Okay?"

Connie nodded slowly then smiled. _I'll teach you,_ she signed.

Connie stood from the sofa then turned around to face Daryl. She pulled him up from his seat with both her hands then spun him around to face the sofa again.

_Sofa,_ Connie signed as she patted the cushion.

Daryl mimicked her sign as he spoke. "Sofa." Connie nodded before she grabbed his hand again and took him to the window. _Window,_ she signed then touched the pain of glass. "Window," Daryl said as he signed the word she had just taught him. She excitedly brought him towards the front door and pointed to it. _Door,_ she signed, followed by Daryl repeating the action.

Connie held his hand as she opened the door and pulled him outside into the warm afternoon sunshine. She was smiling in exhilaration as she took him from object to object teaching him the sign for everything she touched or pointed to. _Tree, bushes, ground, grass, deer, sky, cabin, home, Delilah, cart, knife._ Daryl was doing well. He felt a rush of excitement too as he was learning more and more how to speak her language.

The way Connie excitedly taught him endeared her to Daryl. Watching her speak her own language with such ease and fluidity amplified his attraction towards her. Daryl momentarily forgot what they were doing and out of nowhere, he quickly leaned forward kissing her on the lips. He let his lips trail over her soft cheek before finally pulling back.

Connie lifted her right hand up placing her middle and ring fingers down towards the palm of her hand. She lifted Daryl's hand up, instructing him to make the same sign that she was making. Daryl did. She wrote on her notepad and showed it to him.

_This means I love you_

Daryl held the sign up in front of her for a long time. She signed it back to him again with a joyful smile illuminating her face. "I love you," Daryl said as he signed. "I'm gonna say this to you every day."

…..

The couple had spent the rest of the day settling into the cabin, getting water and butchering the rest of the deer. They were glad they thought to bring a small meat smoker on the trip and had already smoked and dried a good portion of the deer meat.

Nowadays nothing was easy and everything was a chore. Water, food, a safe shelter – all the things taken for granted before were now things that took hours, days and weeks to secure and maintain. It was hard work but everyone alive was used to it by now. Daryl and Connie were certainly no exception.

The two of them worked remarkably well together. They somehow instinctively knew what the other was doing or wanted, almost as if they both had a sixth sense towards each other. They were both quite comfortable with the quiet but today was different. A number of lessons were given to Daryl throughout the day as they did their chores together. No opportunity was wasted for Connie to teach him a new word or phrase to sign as he did the corresponding chore.

It had been another long day but a good one. Connie and Daryl moved around the dimly lit cabin getting ready to settle down for the night. Connie put clean linens on the mattress as she watched Daryl check the locks on all the doors and windows. When he finished, he continue to amble around the cabin searching out even more chores to do. As she studied him she saw him put his hand to his side more than once. She guessed that he didn't even notice that his injuries were bothering him.

Connie clapped her hands together to get Daryl's attention. He looked over at her expectantly. _Time to sleep_, Connie signed to him.

"You want me to got to sleep, right?" Daryl replied. Connie nodded.

_Okay,_ Daryl signed back. _Sleep._

_ Good job! _Connie signed as she smiled.

"That means..." Daryl replied. He contorted his face trying to recall what the sign she had given him meant. A wide grin formed on Connie's face as she watched him trying so hard to remember. "Good job! It means good job. Is that right?" he asked as he looked over at her, searching for her approval. Connie continued to smile as she nodded again.

_Good job,_ Daryl signed, feeling proud of himself.

_ You're a good student, _Connie replied._ Thank you for doing this._

_ Don't understand. _Daryl signed as he shook his head. "I just know you thanked me for something but I ain't sure what for." Connie pulled her trusty notepad from her pocket and wrote. She smiled tenderly as she handed it to him.

_I said you're a good student and  
I thanked you for learning my language.  
You have no idea what it means to me._

"I want to learn everything about you," Daryl said almost dreamily as he gazed into her eyes.

_You will,_ she signed.

Connie left Daryl's side and went to gather peroxide and bandages. She came back and pointed to Daryl's wound. Daryl nodded as he grabbed the lantern and let Connie lead him into the bedroom. He sat on the bed while Connie knelt on the floor. She unbuttoned his shirt and gently pushed him back farther onto the bed so that he laid flat. She pulled the old bandages off before pouring peroxide on the wound. Daryl folded his arm behind his head as he watched Connie redress his wound with such care.

More than once Daryl had been in precarious situations where he had to take care of his own wounds or stitch himself up. There were more times than he could count when he had to figure everything out on his own...something he'd been doing it long before the world went to hell. He inhaled and exhaled serenely as he laid back. If this was what she meant when she said that he had to let her take care of him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, if she was even half as anxious to love and take care of him as he was to do that for her, how could he deny her that?

When Connie had finished, she closed the bedroom door and locked it. She pulled off Daryl's boots then her own and placed both pairs strategically at the foot of the bed for quick access in an emergency. She stood up and leaned towards the lantern. She lifted the glass and moved her lips closer to the flame to blow it out. Daryl placed his hand on her arm and shook his head.

"Not yet," Daryl said. "There was somethin'...somethin' I wanted to tell you."

_What?_ she signed and mouthed as she gazed over at him expectantly.

Daryl pulled on her hand, drawing her closer. He lifted the blanket up and Connie grinned like a schoolgirl as she moved her body next to his. Daryl moved his hand to her face pushing her dark curls away from her eyes. He wanted her complete attention. He wanted her to know exactly what he was thinking.

"I know what I said to you a coupla' days ago. I know I told you I didn't know what I was doin' and that I didn't know how to love you. I been alone so long that I think I was more afraid to love you than of anything else...the world like it is, the dead...everything." Daryl felt completely naked and vulnerable as every emotion he was feeling spilled from his soul. But as he stared into her alluring brown eyes and felt the warmth of her body against his, that same peace and solace he always felt around her moved over him. The peace and solace had already become so familiar and Daryl basked in those sublime feelings as he continued. "I know all we've been doin' the last two days is travellin' and chores butcherin' meat and trying to settle in here but...these last two days, bein' out here, just with you, they've been the best days of my entire life. Nothin' in my life ever felt this right and this good and it's because of you...because of us."

"And I was wrong," Daryl continued. "I was wrong about not bein' able to love you because lovin' you...lovin you has been the easiest thing I've ever done." Daryl let out a breath as he pressed his lips against Connie's forehead. When he pulled back again he saw tears in her eyes. Her whole face smiled back at him as the tears ran down her cheeks.

Connie caressed the side of Daryl's face as she took in all he had said to her. She was overwhelmed. She had already fallen in love with Daryl but she was taken aback by what she was feeling as he poured his heart out to her.

Connie wanted to say everything back to him. She wanted to tell him all the ways he made her feel too. Tell him how safe she felt when he was near...how deep she sensed the connection between the two of them...so deep that she could feel him coursing through her veins. She wanted to tell him that there was no one else she wanted to wake up next to each day...tell him there was no one she loved more.

There were too many things she wanted to say but she couldn't in this moment. The words were too meaningful to be written on a simple scrap of paper...and too complicated for him to understand in her language. But as Connie held Daryl's body close and moved her soft lips to his she was okay that she couldn't say all that she wanted. She knew she'd have the rest of her life to do it.

**A/N:** Wow! What a heavy week this has been for all of us. My heart is breaking for what is happening in our country right now. I was horrified by the death of George Floyd, an innocent man, murdered on the streets by someone who should have been protecting him and I'm deeply saddened by the subsequent, widespread riots and violence occurring now. It's scary, it's sad and it makes God feel farther away than He really is. As always, I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say about this or anything else. God knows you all have been here to listen to me and I appreciate it so much. Writing my stories and my own personal thoughts about things has been healing and therapeutic for me in so many ways. That's because of you and I thank you.

I hope maybe Connie and Daryl's love story can help you escape from the troubles of the real world, even if for just a few minutes. I know it helps me. Drop me a line and tell me what you think. I pray each of you will stay safe and healthy in these crazy times. I pray each of you will know the love and presence of Jesus in your life, today and always. Love and peace to all of you!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Everybody's Gotta Live**

everybody's gotta live  
and everybody's gonna die  
everybody's gotta live  
i think you know the reason why

sometimes the going gets so good  
then again it gets pretty rough  
but when i have you in my arms baby  
you know i just can't, i just can't get enough

everybody's gotta live  
and everybody's gonna die  
everybody's gotta live  
i think you know the reason why

i feel like i've seen just about a million sunsets  
she said if your with me i'll never go away  
that's when i stopped and took another look at my baby  
she said if your with me i'll never go away

everybody's gotta live  
and everybody's gonna die  
everybody's gotta live  
i think you know the reason why

i had a dream the other night baby  
i dreamt that i was all alone  
but when i woke up i took another look around myself  
and i was surrounded by fifty million strong

everybody's gotta live  
and everybody's gonna die  
everybody's gotta live  
before you know the reason why

…..

The intense morning sunlight shown through the window onto Connie's face and the warmth and brightness roused her from her peaceful sleep. She stretched her back and neck before sitting up and looking around. Daryl wasn't there.

Connie wasted no time leaping from the bed, slipping her shirt on over her tank top and stepping into her boots. She walked out the bedroom door and searched for Daryl as she pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head. She sighed in relief when she saw him in the tiny kitchen filling their canteens and packing a lunch.

"Hey there Sunshine," Daryl chirped with a smile on his face. Connie couldn't help but smile back at his unfamiliar but refreshingly charming demeanor.

Daryl momentarily abandoned his chores and stood in front of her. He moved his hands down her arms and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "You sleep good?"

Connie nodded with a giddy grin before Daryl returned to his task. She grabbed the food Daryl had placed in small paper bags and placed the bags in the backpack sitting on the table.

Daryl put one canteen in the pack and the other one over his shoulder. "You ready to go then?"

_Almost,_ Connie signed as she nodded. _Bathroom first._

"Bathroom, is that what you said?" Connie nodded with another smile. She was impressed. She had only taught him that sign once and he had remembered it.

Connie returned to see Daryl securing two knives to himself: one on his hip and another onto his boot. He placed a Ruger Redhawk revolver into his belt too then slid his crossbow over his shoulders. Connie put her small but sturdy clip point knife into her belt and secured her slingshot in her pocket. She threw the backpack onto her back and the two of them walked out the door.

They both climbed onto Delilah and rode away from the cabin. They would have preferred to walk and leave her there but it wasn't safe to leave the animal alone. They would be able to cover at least double the miles with her anyway.

It was early but the morning sun was already harsh. Daryl steered the horse in the direction where he last saw Dog. His eyes traveled back and forth across the wooded area in front of him until they came to the place where he and his loyal pet had been separated.

Daryl brought the horse to a stop then carefully jumped down from her back. He reached his hand out to Connie and she took it as she jumped down next to him.

Daryl's keen senses kicked into action as he looked at the ground where it had all happened. He replayed it all in his head as his eyes moved from one landmark to another.

He stared at the tall oak tree where Connie wrote him the note that would change everything._ I won't hurt you, _it said. Daryl believed it. The woman he had been falling in love with told him with that one simple phrase that he could trust her. She told him that she was safe. She told him that she wouldn't bring him the kind of pain that so many others had brought him. He remembered pulling her fiercely into himself and kissing her with such love and passion that it had taken even him by surprise.

It was the beginning of something new and Daryl and Connie were filled with happiness and gratitude for what they'd been given. But those feelings were short-lived.

Daryl peered a few yards ahead at the place where he felt the Whisperer's arrows pierce his body. He looked at the green grass on the ground where the arrows had knocked him down just a few weeks ago. The dead he had fought off that day were still there of course – suspended in time and rotting into the ground.

It was a bit surreal to Daryl to think of everything that had transpired since fighting off these particular walkers. So much had happened since that day. But here they were, still dead and completely forgotten by everyone and everything alive. The thought of just how uneventful and casual death had become over the last ten years grieved Daryl in this moment.

He had also been left for dead that day, as he watched Connie being dragged off by predators. He remembered the pain he felt as he laid there, corpses pinning him to the ground while more lurked towards him.

Daryl thought his life was going to end that day. Unceremoniously cut short, forgotten and left to decompose on the ground like a piece of rotting fruit. He thought God had been playing a cruel joke by letting him find the best thing he'd ever had just to rip it away moments later.

But then there was Dog. His faithful companion charged out to his rescue, leading the herd of zombies away from his master.

Daryl looked in the direction Dog had led the walking dead. He took Delilah's reins in his hands and walked in that direction with Connie following closely.

The sun beat down on them as they continued to walk several more miles. Daryl finally stopped and turned to Connie. She could read the dejected look on his face as he spoke. "Trail's gone cold. Went cold a long time ago."

Connie caressed Daryl's arm. _We'll keep looking, _she signed.

"I don't know what that means," Daryl replied despondently. Connie fished her notepad out of her pocket, wrote something and showed it to him.

_We'll keep looking  
We just started and  
u r a good tracker_

"Yeah but if I ain't got no trail to follow, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Connie wrote another note and showed it to him.

_You didn't give up on finding me_

Daryl looked up from the note into her face and found her smiling tenderly back at him. He chewed on his bottom lip then nodded. "Alright then. We keep looking."

They walked another half mile before they came to the edge of a small but rocky ravine. Connie grabbed Daryl's arm and pointed to the bottom of the ravine. Daryl's eyes followed where her finger was pointing. Caves. She looked back at him waiting for his response.

"Yeah I see 'em," Daryl said. Daryl put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. "Dog!" he called out.

_Go down_, Connie signed.

Daryl shook his head. "It's too steep. We can't take Delilah down and I don't want to leave her here. Hell, right now I don't even think I can make it down and back up."

_I'll go,_ she replied.

"Uh uh - no way. I ain't lettin' you go down there and into them caves by yourself!"

_Letting me?_ Connie signed then put her hands on her hips, bothered that he assumed she needed his permission.

Daryl didn't know exactly what she signed but he immediately sensed her irritation with him. "Look, I'm not tryin' to tell you what you can and can't do. It's just dangerous and I don't want you gettin' hurt!"

_I'll be fine,_ she replied but once again Daryl didn't understand. Connie threw the backpack off her shoulders and onto the ground. She walked over to Delilah and unhitched a rope from her saddlebag. She secured it to a tree then tossed it down into the ravine.

"Wait!" Daryl said with urgency as he grabbed her arm. Connie looked back at him impatiently. "Don't go down there. I'll be well enough in another few days and we'll come back and go down and check that cave out together."

Connie placed her hand on the side of his face and smiled, telling him with her expression not to worry. "I don't like this, Daryl said shaking his head. "Please...don't go down there. I won't be able to get to you if you need help. Just...just don't." She pulled her notepad out and wrote Daryl a note.

_We're here now  
I'll go down - I have to  
Don't worry_

Before Daryl could protest any further, Connie grabbed onto the rope and began to climb down the side of the ravine. Daryl held onto the rope as she descended. When she reached the bottom, Daryl put his crossbow in front of him and aimed it down as he watched over her. He studied her every move as she walked inside the cave.

Seconds felt like hours once she disappeared from his sight. Daryl's hands remained steady but his heart raced in his chest. He kept his weapon trained down into the ravine waiting for Connie to reappear.

From his peripheral vision Daryl saw movement. He turned his attention from the cave and looked off to the left where he saw the dead approaching. "Son of a bitch," Daryl said under his breath. His instinct was to call out for Connie to warn her but of course that would do no good. It would do no good to climb down the ravine either. With his injuries he wouldn't be able to make it down there in time to do anything.

Daryl did the only thing he could. He began shooting. One after another, Daryl shot the walkers nearing the cave. _Where the hell is she?_ Daryl thought with terrible anxiety. He only had two arrows left but more of the dead were coming. He fired off his last two arrows then threw his crossbow to the ground. He pulled his gun from his holster and began firing that. His aim wasn't as good with a firearm and he missed several shots until he was out of bullets too.

"Shit," Daryl shouted in frustration. He quickly went to the edge of the ravine and grabbed the rope to lower himself down. Before he began the descent, he spotted Connie out of the corner of his eye.

"Connie!" he shouted mindlessly. He watched her charge through two walkers, stabbing them as she barreled through. More were at her heels as she grabbed onto the rope. Daryl held onto the rope as she started to climb up.

Suddenly, Daryl heard groaning behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the dead approaching. He pulled his knife from his belt and attacked, stabbing his knife through the skulls of the monsters in front of him. As the last walker lunged at him, he dropped his knife on the ground. Daryl lifted the dead man with his powerful arms and hurled him into the ravine below.

After he dispatched all four walkers, Daryl quickly turned his attention back to Connie. She hadn't made it very far up the rope. The dead clawed at her as she swung against the rocks. One had a solid grip around her ankle as Daryl watched her hands began to slip. "No!" he screamed. Without hesitation, Daryl picked up a large rock and threw it with precision into the walker's head. Its rotting hand finally released Connie's ankle and she began to climb up. Daryl pulled on the rope, his adrenaline making the muscles in his arms move more swiftly than they ever had. He finally reached out his bloody hand to her hand and pulled her up and over the edge.

Daryl and Connie collapsed onto the ground as they tried to catch their breath. Daryl wasted no time picking himself up from the ground. He reached out his hand to help lift her from the ground. Connie stood up straight and dusted herself off.

"You hurt?" Daryl asked curtly. Connie shook her head.

She looked at the blood on Daryl's hand as she began to feel panic. She grabbed his arm and studied it. _Are you okay?_ she signed frantically.

"I'm fine. It's not my blood, it's theirs," Daryl stated as he pointed to the dead bodies on the ground.

Daryl retrieved the rope and hitched it back to the horse's saddlebag. He grunted as he climbed on Delilah's back. "Let's go," he said coldly as he looked over at Connie. She quickly jumped onto the horse and wrapped her arms around Daryl as they took off.

As they made their way back through the woods, dark and ominous clouds began to form in the sky. During the ten mile trek back to the cabin, Daryl remained completely silent, making no effort to communicate with Connie. He wouldn't even look at her once. At one point he felt Connie resting her head against his back. The affection felt nice but Daryl was far too angry to enjoy it.

Lightning lit up the darkened sky and roaring thunder shook the ground. By the time they made it back to their tiny home, a fierce rain had moved in too. Daryl jumped off of the horse and Connie followed. The rain beat against him as he began to remove the saddle and other items they had packed onto the animal's back. He threw them onto the porch then led Delilah out of the rain to underneath an overhang extending from the house.

Daryl stomped back up onto the porch and pulled the screen door open. Before he could walk inside Connie grabbed his arm and spun him around to look at her. _What's wrong?_

"What's wrong? Is that what you're askin' me?" Daryl replied with indignation. Connie nodded. "You wanna know what's wrong? I'll tell you!" Daryl shouted. "I almost lost you! You almost died! I told you not to go down there and you didn't listen to me. I begged you not to do it and you did it anyway. What would have happened if you got bit...if you couldn't get away from them walkers? I couldn't get to you! I couldn't help you! I just had to stand there and watch it all happen! What the hell were you thinkin'?" Connie pulled out her notepad and wrote quickly.

_You did help me!  
I got away and Im fine_

"Oh you're fine huh? We got away and everything's great now, right?" Daryl continued to shout. "That's bullshit! I got us out there riskin' our lives for what? A dog? I had you puttin' your life in danger to find a dog!"

_I'm fine _Connie signed._ We made it back without a scratch. And we'll go back out tomorrow and the next day too, until we find Dog._

"I don't understand what the hell you're sayin'!" Daryl shouted as he threw his arms up in frustration. Connie took her notepad and scribbled out a note.

_U R overreacting  
I said I'm fine  
We'll find Dog tomorrow_

"You don't get it! We ain't goin' out tomorrow to find Dog!" Daryl cried as he puffed his chest out and shouted inches from her face. "We've lost too much already! You lost Kelly and your baby...I lost my brothers and...and I'm not gonna lose you too! I can't lose you! Don't you understand that?" Connie began to write another note when Daryl snatched the notepad out of her hands. He threw it over the porch railing and into the muddy grass. "There ain't nothin' you're gonna say to change my mind about all this!"

Connie looked up at him, shocked by what he'd done. Her anger brimmed up inside of her as she gritted her teeth. She raised her hand up and slapped it hard across Daryl's face. She hurried off the porch and into the pouring rain.

Connie didn't get far before Daryl's grabbed her by the arm and swung her back to face him. He pulled her close taking her face into both of his hands then pressed his lips into hers. Daryl kissed her furiously as he held her face. He pulled his mouth away and spoke in frantic whispers.

"I need you. I can't lose you...ever. I can't lose you," Daryl said through hurried breaths as he kissed her again and again. "Do you understand that, Connie? I can't lose you...I can't lose you! Tell me you understand me!" he said as he kissed her then looked down into her eyes.

Connie looked back up into his face as the rain poured through his dark hair and down his chiseled jaw. She nodded her head slowly, as she affirmed his desperate need for her. She wrapped her hands around his neck as she pulled his mouth back onto hers.

Connie slid her tongue into Daryl's mouth and their lips tangled wildly. She didn't break the untamed kiss as she reached her hands down to his chest. She found the opening of his shirt and ripped it apart. Her fingers ran up and down his sturdy chest as her lust for him consumed her entire body.

Daryl's muscular arms reached down to her waist and lifted her soaking wet shirt over her head. He threw it on the ground and brought his hands back to her body. His hands slid across the slippery skin on her back finding her bra strap. He gently unhooked it and pulled it off her chest exposing her bare breasts to the lush rain. Daryl kept his lips pressed into hers as he lifted her petite body into his hefty arms. She pressed her chest into his and slid her arms around his neck as they kissed passionately. She wrapped her slender legs around his hips as he carried her from the rainstorm to inside the cabin.

Daryl held Connie's body in his arms as he kicked the door shut and locked it. They didn't break the passionate kiss as he carried her into the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. He closed the bedroom door, locking that door too.

Lightning flashed outside the window, lighting up the room. Daryl looked lustfully at Connie lying on the bed. He pulled her boots off and dropped them at the foot of the bed. Connie lied still on the bed as Daryl carefully finished undressing her. When he finished, she watched him pull all of his wet clothes off too.

Daryl laid next to her on the bed and caressed her face as Connie tenderly kissed him again.

"I ain't gonna lie," Daryl stated with a vulnerable look in his eyes. "I haven't done this in a long, long time."

Connie smiled. _A-R-E Y-O-U N-E-R-V-O-U-S? _She spelled out to him. Daryl shook his head.

"There's somethin' I gotta say though," Daryl stated as he held her naked body close to his. Connie stared deeply into his eyes then moved her gaze to his lips. "I mean this forever. I never want to be anywhere else except next to you. I don't wanna take it slow. I feel like I've been missin' the other half of me my whole life and now...now that I found you, I ain't ever leavin'. I want what we have...this love...I want it to be forever. Before you, before God I ain't ever gonna leave you. Do you understand that?"

Connie looked dreamily up into his eyes as she felt the thunder shake the house. She nodded slowly.

"Do you love me like that?" Daryl asked. "Do you want me the way I want you...forever?"

Connie could feel Daryl's heart beating gently on her chest as she peered into his eyes, mesmerized. She nodded again slowly. She pulled her hand from around the back of his neck and held it in front of him. _I love you,_ she signed. _I'll love you forever._

Daryl leaned down, pressing his lips to Connie's. The sweet taste of her mouth, the feeling of her body beneath his, the scent of the rain in her hair were intoxicating as he felt a closeness and intimacy he'd never felt with another human.

Once again Daryl's life was taking a sudden and exhilarating turn because of the love he'd found with Connie. And because of it, he'd never been happier to be alive.

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Well here's another chapter for you and I hope you liked it. It turned out to be a tad bit steamier than I first intended but I wanted it to be authentic and true to my vision for these characters.

I also wanted to thank you for all the kind feedback I received from the last chapter. It was a lot and I loved it! I kinda wish I was the type of person that didn't crave affirmation but I just am.

Just so you know, I think this story is coming to an end and I'm feeling really pretty sad about that. I would consider extending it if that's what you all wanted AND if you gave me some inspired prompts. I have three more chapters left and then I'm out of ideas. I don't want this story to overstay its welcome so if I'm not feeling it, I'll just end it with the three chapters I have planned. I would also welcome any other TWD story ideas. I've toyed with the idea of writing an actual novel outside of fan fiction but I love these characters and this world so much. I guess I'm just a sucker for zombies and romance. Anyhow, comment below or send me a PM with any ideas for this story or any other TWD stories you might have.

I sincerely love each one of you and pray God's best for you always!  
On a side note, it's 6:30 AM and I haven't gone to bed yet...man I love writing.

Everybody's Gotta Live  
Performed by Love  
Written by Arthur Lee  
(kind of obsessed with this song...give the og studio version a listen)


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Fairy Tales**

It had been three months since the fair. Three months since they walked up on that horrific scene of their friends, neighbors and loved ones grotesquely displayed on the pikes. Three months since everyone's world had been shaken by an insidious enemy hell-bent on terrorizing them into submission.

Three months since the subsequent battle against the Whisperer army and three months since Daryl and his comrades made the daring rescue and attack on the enemy.

It had been three months since Daryl had fallen in love with Connie. He went from being a lone wolf, resolved to spend the rest of his life in solitude to a man devoting himself to the woman he loved forever.

Three months later it was December 7th and the four communities had gathered there again for another festival. Connie and Daryl rode Delilah up to the front gates of Alexandria. They pulled a cart behind them with their own goods to share and trade. Smoked bacon, deer, rabbit, trout and catfish filled their cart.

Not long after they had arrived and settled in at Michonne's house, Daryl and Connie walked hand in hand through the streets of Alexandria. The smell of roasted pecans and hot cider filled the air. Lights were strung up around the church and a large Christmas tree towered above the residents and guests in Alexandria. It was a festive and magical sight that nobody had seen in over ten years. There were dozens of tables and booths assembled through the town square and Daryl smiled as he watched Connie's eyes light up at all the goods and treats in front of them.

Connie reminisced to being a teenager with her first boyfriend and walking through the City Point Mall in Brooklyn. She'd look through windows at the designer clothes then decide she didn't need anything. She just wanted to walk through the mall at Christmas and hold hands with her boyfriend. They'd share a pretzel and a cherry slushy and all was right in the world.

After trials and hardships of every kind, all was right in the world once again. She walked down the streets of Alexandria this time with her hand in Daryl's. She looked at tables and booths full of clothes, tools, homemade soaps, candles, housewares and an assortment of scavenged goods. She stopped and picked up a bar of soap and brought it close to her face. She closed her eyes as she inhaled. She laid it back on the table and repeated the action with a few more bars.

Daryl squeezed her hand and Connie turned to look at him._ See anything you can't live without?_ he asked her.

_Soap might be nice,_ she signed back.

"Soap? I can make you soap, piece of cake," Daryl replied sarcastically.

_I'll believe that when I see it,_ Connie signed with a half-cocked grin. She put a bar of rosemary and mint soap to Daryl's nose for him to smell. Daryl inhaled and she set the soap back on the table.

_ You can trade some of the bacon for this soap,_ Connie said then pointed to what she wanted.

_ You're crazy! You want me to trade our bacon for soap? That's... _Daryl stopped signing and spoke to Connie. "How do you say ironic?"

Connie put both of her arms up and showed him the sign he requested.

_It's ironic, _Daryl said slowly as he used the new sign he just learned,_ because they make this soap with animal fat._ Daryl smiled and winked before they kept walking.

Connie smiled back and looped her arm through his arm, leaning her body into him. They walked along a little farther when she spotted familiar faces. She tugged on Daryl's arm then pointed to her friends. _I'm going to go see Luke and Yumiko, _she said.

_ Sure, _Daryl replied._ I'll go look for Carol. Sound good?_

Connie nodded. _I'll see you at six for dinner. _She stood on her tiptoes and lovingly kissed him goodbye. Daryl stared at her as she walked away from him and towards her friends. An uneasy feeling pricked at him. Being away from her always made him nervous. Since moving into their cabin in the woods, it was rare for them to be apart from each other. They did almost everything together. Daryl knew how capable Connie was but he couldn't help but be protective of the most important person in his life. He took a deep breath and shook the useless thoughts from his head.

Daryl walked swiftly through the crowds wasting no time looking for his old friend. He finally found her sitting at a wooden picnic table with Ezekiel, Henry and three others he didn't recognize. She laughed as Ezekiel fed her a bite of his caramel apple.

When Carol spotted Daryl, she spoke quickly to Ezekiel then leaped from the table. She ran towards her friend and threw herself into his arms. Daryl lifted her from the ground in a warm embrace. When he set her back down, the two friends smiled in silence, just happy to see each other.

"I thought you'd be here but I wasn't sure," Carol exclaimed as she grinned from ear to ear.

"We heard about the fair a month ago and Connie's been countin' down the days."

"Me too. I think everyone's been pretty excited about this...especially after what happened at the fair a few months ago."

"I guess they're doin' some kind of tribunal too, right?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, they are. Tomorrow morning at nine. The joint council thought it would be wise to do it while everyone was already here for the Christmas festival. Are you going to be there?"

"Don't know...haven't decided yet," Daryl replied curtly.

Carol sensed Daryl didn't want to talk about it any more. She was anxious to change the subject anyway. "Forget about the tribunal. I haven't seen you in a long time and there are other things I'd rather talk about."

"Yeah me too."

Carol smiled again and shook her head. She took Daryl's cheeks in her hands, studying his face. "Look at you...you finally got a proper haircut," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair in a motherly fashion. "You look better than you ever have."

"Even though I put on a few pounds?"

Carol chuckled as her eyes moved down to Daryl's waistline. "Connie's feeding you well then?"

"Feedin' me, cuttin' my hair, washin' my clothes. She even makes me floss a couple times a week."

"And you let her do all that?"

Daryl nodded.

"And I know you," Carol replied. "You're taking just as good a care of her."

"Tryin' to."

"You don't try Daryl Dixon...you just do it."

"Alright,sure, I'm takin' care of her too."

"I know you are." Carol let out a deep sigh. "It's nice isn't it...to take care of someone you love?"

"Yeah, it is," Daryl replied earnestly as he looked ahead dreamily."It's real nice but I ain't gonna lie...it still feels strange."

"You'll get used to it."

"Did you?" Daryl asked not knowing the answer. Even his best friend could be such an enigma to him.

"You mean with Ezekiel."

"Yeah."

Carol didn't answer right away. She walked next to Daryl reflecting on his question thoughtfully. "I remember taking care of Ed. It feels like a hundred years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. He had to be at work at 7 AM everyday and he wanted breakfast ready by 6:15 sharp. And not cereal or oatmeal. He wanted eggs and bacon and toast – the bacon cooked up fresh every morning. I tried cooking a week's worth of bacon at a time but he let me know that he didn't like it that way. He wanted four slices cooked fresh every morning. Then he'd get home at 5:30 and wanted dinner on the table at 5:45 sharp. Sophia and I would make sure the house was clean and her homework was done and that dinner was on the table at 5:45 every night because if it wasn't..." Carol didn't finish her thought. She didn't need to because Daryl already knew.

"I took care of him because I was afraid of him. There was no love, no pride in it, no real care. Just fear and obligation." Carol stared ahead blankly, transfixed by the memories.

"Hey," Daryl said shaking her from her thoughts as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm okay," Carol said smiling through her held back tears. "It's different now...that's all I mean. It's night and day compared to taking care of Zeke. Sometimes I bring him breakfast and sometimes he does it for me and sometimes we both stay in bed together until 10 AM and don't even bother with breakfast. But no matter what, there's love and respect. There's real care for each other. It's not always a fairy tale but it's still real love." Carol looked up at Daryl and playfully shoved her shoulder into his. "Is that what you have with Connie?"

"Real love?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah."

Daryl sighed. Sharing his feelings wasn't his strong suit. But talking about the love of his life with his best friend came easier than it did before. "If real love means bein' happier than you ever been before, then yeah, it's real love. On the other side of that, I think it also means being terrified at the thought of losin' it. That feeling is real too."

"Don't think like that. It'll drive you mad. Just soak up how good it feels and appreciate where you are right now and what you have in front of you."

"I'm tryin'"

"That's good enough then."

As the two friends walked along farther, Daryl looked at all the different vendors. "Do you know if any of the vendors here got jewelry."

"Oh that's good. I'm sure Connie will like jewelry!" Carol exclaimed giddily. "What kind of jewelry were you thinking of?"

"A ring."

Carol stopped walking and turned to her friend excitedly. "Daryl Dixon are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"Not exactly," Daryl said as he chewed on his bottom lip. "I mean, I already consider her my wife, I just...I just want to make it official...you know, give her a ring."

"And does she look at you the same way? Does she consider you her husband."

"Yeah, I think so. I'll find out for sure when I give her a ring."

"I guess you will." Carol chuckled and hugged Daryl's arm. "I'm so happy for you."

Carol looked at him and was pleased to see something she'd witnessed fewer times than she could count on one hand: a genuine smile. "I'm real happy too."

…..

Negan looked out the window of his cell trying to catch a glimpse of the festivities. He could hear the laughter and muffled chatter of hundreds of people as they strolled through town and bargained and traded their goods. He listened to the children squealing as they ran down the bustling streets of Alexandria. He shook his head and smiled as he sat on his cot and picked up his book.

Negan was just about to began reading when he heard the outside door open and close. His eyes shot up as he heard the footsteps descending the stairs to the cell. He smiled as he looked at a familiar face that he had sorely missed.

"Your Majesty," Negan gasped, almost in awe as he stood up and stared at the the silver-haired beauty on the other side of the bars.

"Negan," Carol replied with a nod. "It's good to see you. I trust you're doing well."

"I am."

"And I heard you made a full recovery from your injuries?"

"You bet! Fit as a damn fiddle," Negan chirped as he smiled. "Back to work and trying to be a productive member of society."

"That's good to hear. You look very well," Carol replied as she studied him. "You know, when we got you back here, Saddiq said he wasn't sure if he could do anything for you. I thought you might not make it."

"I guess me and the doc are both stronger than we thought a few months ago," Negan replied grinning. He took a few steps closer to the bars and looked down at Carol. "So what brings you here?"

"Well I'm here for the festival...everyone's here."

"That's not what I mean. I mean what are you doing here...as in here at my cell? You tryin' to bust me out for more shenanigans?" Negan replied, smiling at his own witty banter.

Carol moved in closer to Negan and looked at him soberly as she spoke. "There was a tribunal this morning."

Negan's smile faded to a more sober expression. "Really? What was it about?"

"It was actually about you."

"Me?" Negan asked, genuinely surprised. "There was a tribunal this morning about me. Why wasn't I invited?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well I don't know. What did all you fine people have to say about me?"

"Two leaders from each of the four communities were present. There were witnesses that testified. I was one of them."

"You testified? And what did you have to say about good ol' Negan?"

"I said that you helped me. That you proved yourself to be an asset both in Alexandria but also out in the field. I said that you were trustworthy and brave...that you put the mission and our communities ahead of your own life and safety." Carol looked into Negan's face and smiled with sincerity. "I said that we should give you a second chance."

"You said all that about me?" Negan asked with wide eyes.

"I did," Carol replied nodding. "A few others testified...Siddiq, Michonne, Daryl."

"Well surely that didn't go well. That guy hates me more than dog shit on the bottom of his shoe."

"Nonsense, Daryl's a teddy bear. His bark is worse than his bite."

"Well all that may be true but I still doubt he had anything good to say about me."

"He reminded the council that it was your actions that made it possible to take down Alpha. Said we wouldn't have been able to get a clean shot on her if you hadn't led her out into the open for us to do it. He also reminded them that you saved his life by giving him blood."

"Well shit. Don't I feel like the ugly duckling getting asked to the dance by the quarterback."

"The a decision came down and the council voted to release you, 6 to 2."

"I'm sorry, Negan said shaking his head slowly, "did you say they want to release me?"

"That's what I said," Carol replied to a stunned Negan. "You'll be on probation of course but you won't be in this cell anymore. You won't have an armed guard watching you do your work every day. You'll have your own apartment...your own space. As long as you stay within the walls of Alexandria, you'll be free to move around here as you please. Every morning when you get up, you'll check in with someone. You'll tell them where you're going...what your plans are for the day. You can't deviate from that plan without permission. Then before you return home, you'll check in with someone again."

"That sounds like a shit job for someone, havin' to babysit me like that," Negan said chuckling. "They really think I'm worth the trouble?"

"For the council, that remains to be seen. But it's not just about you. When Rick made the decision seven years ago to spare your life, he was making a decision that's much bigger than you. He was trying to build something that wouldn't just make things better for himself and his family. He was trying to make things better for all of us...for our future. We're still trying to actualize that."

"Well that makes me feel a tad bit less special but I'm still glad to be a part of the bigger picture." Negan studied Carol as he continued. "What about you? You got to know me...probably saw more of the real me than anyone else has in a long time. Do you think I'm worth all that?"

Carol shifted uneasily. Negan was putting her on the spot. She would have liked to avoid the question but she cared for him too much to do that. "To me? Yeah...you're worth it. You helped me when my own friends wouldn't. You stuck your neck out for me and I haven't forgotten that. I won't forget it. You were a friend to me and you can't ever have too many friends now."

"Right from the beginning, you told me you were going to stick your neck out for me too. And I'm grateful that you meant it. No one would have blamed you if you hadn't stuck to your word with a scumbag like me. You could've stabbed me in the back. Hell they might even have given you a parade if you had. But you didn't do that. You kept your word. And you were a friend to me too." Negan shook his head and smiled sincerely as he spoke. "And God knows I need all the friends I can get."

"You have my friendship. Once you get out, I'm sure you'll have a few more."

"I gotta say in all honesty, y'all letting me out of my cell," Negan said as he looked down at the ground, "I don't deserve it. I've had a lot of time to think about all of it and it would be the right thing to just let me rot in there til I died. I just wanted to say that I know that."

"Deserve is a funny word. I suppose we've all gotten some things we don't deserve – both good and bad."

Negan locked eyes with Carol. The intense and intimate stare made her shift uncomfortably but she didn't look away from him. "What?" she finally asked him.

Negan clicked his tongue and smiled thoughtfully before answering her. "You saved my life. You know that, don't you?"

"Siddiq saved your life. I didn't have anything to do with it," Carol replied. "I mean I guess I'm the one that found you but I'm sure someone else would have found you if I hadn't."

"Don't be modest," Negan said.

"I'm not being modest, I'm just saying I'm not the one..."

"Trust me, it was you," Negan argued.

"How so?"

"You kissed me. Do you remember?" Carol stared at him but said nothing.

"Alright you don't have to answer. You have a reputation to keep up." Negan chuckled softly. "But that kiss...that kiss saved my life. Like in one of them damn princess movies."

Carol shook her head. "You're not making any sense, Negan."

"I was ready to die that night. I made some bad mistakes. Really bad but I felt like maybe I turned over a new leaf and did something – even something small – to make up for it. I helped Daryl get his true love back...I sacrificed myself for the mission. I made my peace with all of you...I mean at least in my mind I did. I think maybe...maybe I even made my peace with God. It was the perfect recipe for a textbook honorable death, don't ya think?"

"So what are you still doing here then? It doesn't seem like you to pass up on an opportunity for a dramatic exit."

"You gave me a little kiss and..." Negan clicked his tongue again and cocked his head. Carol would have thought he was just playing games or being flirtatious again but she distinguished a genuine tone in his voice. "...and that kiss, it did somethin' magical – just like in a fairy tale. It made me realize that I didn't wanna go yet! It made me remember what it was like to have another person care about me...made me want to find someone that I could have those feelings for again."

Carol blushed and smiled. "Well who knows, maybe now you'll have that chance."

"It didn't just spur on my schoolboy crush though. It did something else."

"What did it do?"

"That kiss...it gave me a second wind and made me want to live for everything. It made me think that maybe there's a lot more good for me to do in this world. It awoke something in me and made me want to fight for my life so that I could do those good things. I'm tellin' you, I was ready to go. I didn't think I could stay even if I wanted to but you...you kissed me and you were kind to me. You showed me that you actually cared about me and..." Negan stopped speaking again. If Carol hadn't known better, she would have thought maybe she even caught an inkling of tears in the corner of his eye. "It had been a really long time since I thought someone cared about me...that thought I had a life worth saving...and that I deserved any kindness. I mean I don't deserve it but you gave it to me anyway. You saved me."

Carol remained silent for a long time before she replied. "So do it then."

"Do what?" Negan asked.

"You said you thought that maybe there was still more good for you to do. If that's true, then you should do it. Don't waste time. Don't fall back into old , ugly habits. You got a second chance that a lot of others never got. Don't waste it. Make the most of your second chance and live an honorable life...one your wife would be proud of. You're off to a good start...don't waste it."

"I don't intend to," Negan stated with both confidence and sincerity.

Carol and Negan stood just a few feet away from each other, with just the bars between them. They held the moment for a little longer before Carol finally turned to leave "I should get going. I need to get back to my family."

"Sure," Negan said with a sigh, trying to hide his disappointment that she was leaving. Carol started to walk away when Negan spoke again. "They have any idea how lucky they are to have you?"

"You mean my family?" Carol replied as she turned back towards him.

"Yeah. Your boy and your husband...do they know just how lucky they are to get a second chance with you?"

"Yeah they know. And on days when they forget, I don't hesitate to remind them," Carol said with a sly grin as she walked away again. "I'll see you around Negan."

"See you around, Carol."

**A/N:** Well I hope you all enjoyed this Monday chapter that for some reason, took me forever to write and publish. Have a great week all! Be safe, healthy and blessed!


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